


A Song Of Fire

by rosiespinky (Janyolski)



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, BLACKPINK AU, Blackpink Witch AU, ChaeSoo, Chaelisa - Freeform, Demons, F/F, Lisoo, Magic, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Witches, chaenie, chaennie, jensoo, lichaeng - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-11-05 15:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17921147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janyolski/pseuds/rosiespinky
Summary: Jisoo is a talented and brilliant witch who practices divination and was born with the gift of vision, a seer. Lisa is a half-demon, half-witch, who is bad at spellcasting but good at fighting and is an expert in close-combat. Jennie is a shapeshifter who prefers the form of a cat. And Rosie is a talented witch who uses her powers for healing and owns a little magical and medicinal herb shop.Lisa gets badly injured and Jisoo doesn't see it happening in her visions. She sees a blonde healer, however, and realizes she's the only one who can help Lisa.AU originally twitter user @roseisamusican's and @beiiadonas' idea.





	1. Lisa Needs Help

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is twitter user @roseisamusician's and @beiiadonas' brainchild and not originally my own.

Jisoo grips the feathers of the griffin until her knuckles turn white. The animal makes no protest but she’s certain she’s hurting it. She makes no move to ease up however, because if she loosens her hold even just a little bit, she might slip off of the creature with the speed they were flying in. And if she slips off, the barely conscious half-demon she strapped tight to her back would fall with her.

She hears a wheeze, followed by ragged coughing, and then a soft weak voice.

“Jisoo…. Slow down.”

Jisoo doesn’t respond. Or rather, she couldn’t. Her throat is dry as sandpaper and her heartbeat is thundering in her ears.

“Jisoo…” the half-demon struggles to speak again, sounding weaker and softer this time. “I’m… okay.” There is a wheeze followed by a chuckle. “It’s just… a scratch.”

Jisoo feels her blood boil.

“Shut up!” Jisoo screams. “Just shut the fuck up!!” She grips the griffin’s feathers tigher and she feels it flap its wings to add speed in response

She hears a wheeze, a soft cough, then a sincere “sorry.”

Tears burn Jisoo’s eyes and she swallows back a sob. The frustration and anger crackled in her veins and bore a hole in her chest. But, these feelings were directed at herself and not her dying best friend who was staining the griffin's beautiful white feathers a sick bloody crimson.

She turns her head to look at her best friend  and immediately regrets it. The huge ugly gash at Lisa’s side gaped at her, taunting her as it slowly but surely drained her best friend’s life force. Was it just so her best friend could die even after Jisoo did everything she could to save her? Was it to show her how powerless she is despite being one of the best witches she knows?

Lisa coughs again and fresh blood spurts out of her wound from the movement.

A wave of nausea hits Jisoo and she fights it, turning to face forward. The contents of her stomach want out, but she needs to be stronger than that. She can’t afford to be a scared, vomiting mess. Not right now, not when her best friend’s life depends on her.

The little bungalow with a hut and greenhouse behind it, finally it comes into view. Jisoo feels some of the weight on her chest lighten.

_ Almost there. Almost. _

The visions she’s been seeing for the past weeks come into view in her mind’s eye - blonde hair and kind eyes, a beautiful voice, laughter and so many magical plants and herbs Jisoo thought were extinct; a pink rosefinch perched on the woman’s shoulder. Jisoo shudders.  _ Oh, and the power. _ The magical ability flowed off of the woman in waves that Jisoo would have been terrified if the woman didn’t look so soft and kind.

The house grows bigger as they get closer. 

She reaches behind her to hold her best friend’s hand and the rocks in her chest turn into boulders. She feels like an ogre just kicked her.

Lisa’s hands were always warm from conjuring those flame daggers she loves fighting with so much. Jisoo would often tell her to be more creative and do other things because she was surely more skilled with controlling and conjuring flames. Lisa argued that she thought she looked really cool with them and that it’s become her brand.

Now, Lisa’s hand felt like ice.

Jisoo, hands trembling, gives it a weak squeeze. She tries to breathe in quick short bursts as fear eats at her focus and willpower.

“Lisa, we’re almost there, okay?” She assures Lisa, but mostly it was to assure herself.

She hears a soft grunt and feels Lisa squeeze back, or at least try to. A sob escapes Jisoo’s throat before she could stop it. Next thing she knew, her tears were falling freely.

_ If it wasn’t for Lisa’s half-demon blood, she would have died only a few moments after suffering such a fatal injury. She’s dying and I can’t do anything. _

Jisoo’s sanity threatens to unravel. She has never felt this terrified in all her life. She is a seer and she practices divination. Nothing much surprised her and barely anything happened without her knowing about it and being prepared beforehand.

But she was completely blindsided by her half-demon best friend being attacked by a group of seven shadow elementals while she was out to buy late night snacks at a convenience store. Lisa is the strongest fighter Jisoo knows, but seven against one? That’s hardly a fight at all.

It was ambush - it was murder.

She wouldn’t even have known if Lisa hadn’t called her and told her what happened. Lisa somehow managed to escape and used a simple glimmer spell to cloak herself from the shadow creatures until Jisoo found her. The seer remembers everything she sees. But the sight of her best friend slumped beside a dumpster, a bloody mess with her insides threatening to spill out from her side and onto the pavement, was something that would haunt Jisoo forever.

Jisoo isn’t one for anger and vengeance, but for what happened to her best friend?

_ Someone has to pay. _ And someone will. She’ll make sure of it.

The griffin swoops down as the greenhouse towers before them. The half-eagle, half-lion’s back legs stretch out to meet ground and a billow of dust is left behind them as the animal screeches to a stop in front of the hut and the greenhouse.

They’re here.  _ Finally. _

Now there’s one more thing left to do and there’s no time to waste. Jisoo had them land at the back, where she felt the magical barrier is weakest.

Jisoo stretches her hands out in front of her, forming a triangle with her forefingers and thumbs. She mutters the spell that pierces the field under her breath, louder and louder every time she repeats it. Beads of sweat form on her forehead as she feels the magic flow through every cell of her body and focus into the center of the triangle.

The barrier was strong, stronger than the usual protective spell put by magical families around their homes. Jisoo’s arms tremble and she feels the strain on her shoulders. She’s sweating now, and breathing heavily as she chants and casts the piercing spell.

Finally, she feels the barrier rip, like cloth finally giving after incessant pulling. Her arms fall to the side and her head falls back a little in exhaustion. Jisoo sees a glimmer where she created the opening, an indication that she was successful.

Jisoo, exhales and closes her eyes for a moment then smiles. She allows herself to feel victorious and proud even as she feels her powers go from eighty percent to almost zero, after performing that spell. She was successful in opening the barrier. Now, all that’s left is to get to the blonde healer in her vision.

She kicks the griffin’s side and it runs into the opening.

But before they could reach the hut, Jisoo hears a loud roar from behind them. She steers the griffin around but not before it’s hind leg is struck by a huge clawed paw. The griffin lets out an ugly screech and falls down to its knees.

Jisoo faces their attacker with frantic, scared eyes, still sitting atop the now-lame griffin. It was a huge black cat - a panther - but with longer claws and fangs and sharper eyes. This was definitely no animal, but a shapeshifter, and a very talented one if they could alter the appearance of the animal to their advantage.

The panther growls and bares its teeth, lowers its head and its shoulders and leg muscles tense. Jisoo’s eyes widen in realization.

_ It’s going to pounce. _

The seer puts one arm in front of her and stretches her other arm to her side, protectively in front of her wounded best friend. She conjures a shield only big enough to cover the front of both of them. The panther attacks but is repelled by the shield. It lands on its feet, a few yards away, shaking its head. Jisoo and Lisa are knocked off of the griffin and Jisoo feels sharp pain on the side as her head hits a small rock on the ground. She sees spots in her vision and she starts feeling foggy. She figures out she’s bleeding. Lisa just grunts and then coughs, too weak to move, too weak to do anything.

Jisoo feels whiskers, hot breath, and saliva drip on her face. Her mind is too hazy to come up with anything. No more spells, no counter attacks. She just thinks,  _ well, at least I die with my dumb best friend... _

She hears Lisa chuckle beside her and say in a weak voice, “now two of us die, dumdum.”

Jisoo snickers under her breath. Of course they’re thinking of the same thing; they aren’t best friends for  _ nothing _ .

The panther growls.

“A witch… and a half-demon.” It sneers the last part in disgust. It’s voice was rough and distorted in its panther form but it was definitely female.

Lisa coughs. “Yep.” A deep breath. “Present, ma’am.” She jokes.

The panther snarls into Lisa’s ear.

“You think you’re funny, huh?” It roars. Lisa feels her eardrum rupture and winces in pain.

The panther lifts a paw and presses it against Lisa’s face, pushing the half-demon hard against the dirt. Lisa grits her teeth in pain.

“We-we just need help.” Jisoo begs. “My friend is dying. My visions told me there was only one witch who could help.”

The panther turns its head, to Jisoo.

“A seer.” It snarls. “You broke the barrier.”

“Yes. I had no choice. I had to save my friend.” 

“I know you.” The panther growls, inching its face close to Jisoo so that its looking down into her eyes. “You’ve been watching the shop for a few days. So many magical creatures come here wanting to steal the rare potions and plants. And now you come with a dying half-demon, of all creatures. How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

Jisoo realizes her mistake. After seeing the visions of the blonde witch, she started investigating and tracking her. She found out the blonde owns this shop because it was infamous in this area to both magical and non-magical creatures; the blonde witch sold elixirs and potions to all, even the clueless humans with stomach aches who think they’re just getting some homemade remedy. A black cat would watch her and hiss at her whenever she would drive by. She didn’t realize the black cat was a powerful shapeshifter who is protective of the shop and the healer.

But she didn’t know Lisa would get attacked by shadow creatures, either. And this was an emergency and magical barriers don’t exactly come with doorbells. She did what she had to do.

But it seems like it all ends here and now with the shop’s clawed black guardian.

“Please.” Jisoo sobs now, eyes tightly closed, not bothering to hide her feelings anymore. “My friend will die if she doesn’t get help. I’ve tried every spell I know and nothing’s worked. But my visions tell me that the blonde witch with the rosefinch can save her.”

The panther moves its face a few inches away. Jisoo opens her eyes and for a moment she thinks she sees the panther’s eyes become human.

“Jen?” A soft sleepy voice followed by a yawn comes from somewhere inside the house. All three of them, the panther, the seer, and the half-demon pick it up with their heightened hearing.

Jisoo’s eyes widen. She knew that voice.

The panther’s eyes widen, too. There are only two thoughts that run through the shapeshifter’s mind.

_ She’s awake. Must protect her. _

The panther’s eyes harden. Jisoo tries to turn to the direction of the woman who spoke but the panther snarled and put its other paw against her face, pressing the side where the skin was cut open from the fall into the ground. Jisoo screams in pain.

“Don’t you dare move!” The animal roars so close to Jisoo’s face that her ears ring.

They all hear a series of loud thuds followed by a door opening.

“What’s going on?!” A blonde runs out of the greenhouse, 

_ It’s her _ , Jisoo thinks. There’s no way she can be wrong. It’s the voice she’s heard over and over, the voice of the powerful blonde healer with the rosefinch on her shoulder.

“He-help…” Lisa manages to weakly cough out. “Healer.”

The panther turns and bares its teeth at her. The griffin caws, as if to make its presence known, asking help for its wounds, also.

“Jen, get off them!” The blonde runs but the panther roars to stop her.

“No, Rosie, stay there!” There is ice in the animal’s eyes and it makes the healer stop. “They broke through your barrier with powerful magic. They don’t need help. They’re intruders. This is a ploy.”

“No, it’s not.” Jisoo manages to croak. Dark spots swim in her vision from the pain of her head wound being pressed into the ground, still. “I had to break your barrier. Please. My friend is dying.” She clenches her eyes shut as she pleads, hoping that the healer is as kind as her visions showed her.

For the first time, she curses her abilities for not being enough and not warning her of the shapeshifter.

“Your friend is a demon.” The panther snarls. “Why should we help demons?”

“Jen, please, she’s dying.” The blonde witch pleads.

Jisoo realizes the blonde healer is standing only a few feet away now.

“Why should we trust them?” The shapeshifter looks up at her friend, challenging and defiant.

“I don’t know about trust, but we should help them.” There’s firmness in the blonde’s voice. “I can smell poison in this one’s blood.” She nods towards Lisa. “She’ll die if I don’t tend to her now. She’ll be too weak after I heal her to do anything, anyway.” The healer kneels right above Jisoo’s head and touches the panther’s face. The gesture was soft. “Please, Jennie. It’s okay. I can take care of myself.”

The panther looks into the healer’s eyes and her own soften.  _ Rosie is right _ .

She lifts up both paws from Jisoo and Lisa’s faces. Lisa coughs and Jisoo exhales relief. The healer gives the panther a loving scratch under the chin.

“You’re also here to keep me safe, anyway. Thank you.”

The panther grunts. Her friend isn’t wrong about that, either. She’ll always be there to keep Rosie safe. Always. She owed the healer her life, after all.

The healer smiles.

“Now help me get them to the hut.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? It's my first time writing fantasy. I hope you liked it. I enjoyed writing it. I'll try my best to update as regularly as I can. Please leave me comments/suggestions and constructive criticism! (Comments will make me update faster because I'm a whore for feedback.)


	2. Rosie sings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa tries not to die. Jennie transforms. Jisoo is shocked and confused and then amazed. Cotton is the best.
> 
> And Rosie sings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Hello. Chapter 2 is here!

Jennie backs away a few paces to shift into her human form to help Rosie transfer the witch, the half-demon, and the griffin into the healing hut. Rosie hunches down and inspects the wound on the half-demon’s side immediately.

The healer puts two fingers on the injured woman’s wrist and holds the back of her hand an inch away from the woman’s nose. She feels a pulse but it is faint and barely there. But it’s _there_ , the healer tells herself, and her patient’s breathing may be labored but she _is_ breathing and nothing is blocking her airways.

Rosie can work with that; she can work with anything as long as death hasn’t claimed them. And she’ll be damned if she ever lets death win.

 _Never_ , she swore to herself the moment she decided to be a healer.

_Never on her watch._

The healer’s eyes scan her patient’s face; Lisa’s eyes are closed and her lashes are long, her nose, from the side, slopes perfectly, followed by beautiful plump, parted lips. _Pretty_ , registers in Rosie’s subconscious. _Doll-like_.

But there was no time to spare looking at and admiring pretty things - the healer has her game face on and those thoughts tuck themselves away in the far corner of her mind. She focuses on inspecting the half-demon’s wound and torn garments. She’ll have to get the clothes out of the way. She tries to carefully peel back the torn oversized sweater the other blonde woman was wearing, but the some parts of the cloth are stuck to the wound because of dried blood and Lisa winces and hisses in pain.

“Shh, I know it hurts,” Rosie whispers in the softest most comforting voice and puts a hand on the half-demon’s shoulder. “Pain is actually good right now - it means you’re alive.”

There was no sarcasm in the healer’s voice and Lisa weirdly felt like she was already being healed just listening to it. Rosie has an idea of what the poison might be from how it smells, but she’s yet to confirm her suspicions. But if she’s right, the fact that the half-demon isn’t numb to pain yet is a good sign.

“I’ll do everything I can to make you stay alive, okay?” Rosie doesn’t wait for a response but Lisa hums affirmative. The half-demon feels herself fading, the healer’s voice serving as a lullaby, teasing peaceful rest. She tries to struggle, thinking it best to stay awake lest to risk completely giving into oblivion and never coming back. But only a breath later, Lisa passes out.

Unknown to her patient, Rosie meant for her to sleep. She had slipped in a sneaky little spell she crafted herself. It was a sleeping spell, meant to not be obvious because there were no words to it; but it was with the tone, softness, and sometimes the cadence of her words that she casts it. She created it after healing many agitated magical users and magical beasts. It was meant to induce the subject into peaceful rest, like they were in a blank daydream, dulling their senses, thus allowing the patient’s body to conserve the  strength and energy they have and jumpstart their bodies to work on healing itself. It sounds complicated, but it’s really a simple spell that Rosie is surprised no one else has thought of it. Casting it wordlessly was the trick, and Rosie is quite proud of devising a way to do it with the vibrations and sound of her voice.

Satisfied that her patient is now asleep, Rosie gets to work. She conjures a small astral dagger that fits perfectly in her palm. It glitters and sparkles under the moonlight as she lifts it up and  uses it to make the tear on the side of demon’s sweater bigger. There’s a ripping sound, and Rosie pulls the shredded garments away to expose the whole of the other blonde’s torso.

Lisa was wearing nothing underneath her sweater.

Rosie realizes this but it doesn’t bother her. She’s seen and worked on bodies of all shapes and sizes, all states of undress. The demon’s body was fit and there was absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about but it registers in the healer’s mind that her patient might appreciate an ounce of modesty. She uses the dagger to cut off most of the skirt of her nightgown and covers the demon’s chest with it then ties the cloth securely.

She shifts the now covered-up demon a little to the side so she can visually examine the wound. Rosie’s heart sinks to her stomach. The poison bubbled in the demon’s blood like a  hot tar pit on freshly cut meat. Black rot has started spreading on the woman’s insides from the wound opening to her stomach and the rest of her torso. Everything reeked of death and decay, the stench more potent now that everything is exposed to air. Rosie’s suspicions are confirmed. It was poison from a corrupted Hynerian frog’s skin. The creature is difficult to catch and the poison even more difficult to make. and the healer knows of no other witch who grows the rare plant that is the antidote to this poison, except for herself.

_Someone wanted this half-demon dead._

She has to move fast before the poison and rot reaches her patient’s heart.

As Rosie checks Lisa, Jennie completes her transformation a few paces away. Black fur turns into porcelain skin, claws into small dainty fingers, and angry yellow eyes, whiskers and fangs into cat-like eyes and red lips.

The art of shapeshifting requires two things: generous magical energy reserves and physical strength. Lack in one means having to compensate with the other. And master shapeshifters, other than being able to alter and enhance their animal forms, are able to do their transformations in between breaths.

Jennie still takes a little while to revert back to her human physique and it frustrates her. The shapeshifter still has a few more years of training and mastery to go before she can transform into her panther or black cat forms in a blink. She stretches her arms and legs, wiggles her fingers and toes. She turns her head side to side, getting two satisfying and resounding cracks. She sighs relief. The encounter made her unexpectedly tense.

Jisoo, in a haze of pain and exhaustion, watches Jennie’s transformation in awe, only vaguely aware that her best friend is being checked by the healer beside her. She knows at the back of her mind that she should be checking on her friend, but she couldn’t draw her eyes away from the marvel before her.

She’s seen many shapeshifters transform before but none this seamless - none this precise.

And she’s never seen a shapeshifter skilled enough to be able to switch forms in seconds. Sure, she learned about master shapeshifters from the prescribed tomes and books in her witchcraft courses but she’s aware how few actually exist in the magical world, and how most of them are probably old or dead, now. This one might just be the most skilled shapeshifter she’ll ever encounter in her lifetime. And after the fight earlier, the seer already knew that this one is strong and fast and terrifying.

Jisoo feels herself swaying back and forth between consciousness and oblivion and the line between the two get thinner and thinner. Before the seer could pass out, she sees a blurry pink dot fly seemingly out of nowhere and perch itself on the healer’s shoulder.

 _The rosefinch_ , she thinks. _The rosefinch in my visions._

“Miss Rosie! Miss Rosie! The hut is ready!”

Cotton, the pink rosefinch, chirps. Its voice sound like that of a child’s, high-pitched, but with a little distortion.

Rosie turns her head and smiles at her familiar, who was always doing and giving her what she needed without her having to move a muscle or utter a word.

“Towels?” A chirp. “Hot water?” Another chirp. “The usual ingredients for an antidote? The operating tool kit? The purifying circle around the hut?” Three consecutive chirps.

Rosie smiled and softly caressed the bird’s head with a finger.

“Thank you, Cotton. I can always rely on you.”

“Anything for you, Miss Rosie.” Cotton chirps happily, before flying off of the healer’s shoulder and towards Jennie.

“Miss Jennie!” Cotton greets, flying just beside Jennie’s head as she takes a few steps to stand in front of the griffin.

The shapeshifter smiles at the familiar.

“Hello, Cotton. Let’s get to work, shall we?”

Cotton chirps. Jennie nods at Rosie who was standing, looking at her, and waiting for her signal.

Time to take the patients to the hut. 

Rosie turns back to the two women on the ground and starts the spell, muttering the enchantment under her breath. Jennie joins her, facing the griffin. Both witches’ eyes glow faintly, for only a beat, before they go back to their natural warm browns.

They perform only a simple levitation spell that doesn’t require that much skill. They needed to make their patients float, then they’ll attach thin threads of magic from their fingers to be able to pull them easily towards the hut. The three patients levitate up into the air and stop at eye-level. The two witches put their hands up and astral threads shoot out from their fingers, wrapping themselves around the bodies - Rosie’s with Jisoo and Lisa and Jennie’s with the griffin.

They all head to the hut, the three patients trailing in the air behind the two witches as Cotton flies to perch itself on its master’s shoulder.

Once in the hut, Rosie sets Jisoo down carefully on the bench on one side, set up against the wall, then sets Lisa down on the small bed for her patients. Jennie sets the griffin down at the foot of the bench beside Jisoo so the huge creature doesn’t crowd Rosie’s space. She’s certain the griffin can wait for treatment for a little while longer and the beast doesn’t whine or complain anyway, probably understanding that its masters are first priority.

Rosie turns to her friend.

“Jen, do you mind helping me?”

She didn’t need to ask however, as Jennie was already grabbing an elixir for small wounds, a piece of cloth and bandages.

“Rosie, I’m already on it.” Jennie winks. “I’ll take care of this one and you focus on her.”

Rosie nods and wastes not another second. She starts grabbing bowls of herbs and berries and seeds, combining them into one bigger bowl, creating the base for the antidote. Cotton is flying around like crazy, handing the healer the ingredients she asked for that were too far from her reach.

A rattlesnake’s tail, shavings of a balete’s bark, a liar’s tongue, water from the magical spring in the forest behind their hut, a piece of a rafflesia’s petal...

There are three things Rosie needs to do; one, counteract the poison with the antidote; two, take the poison out of the half-demon’s body, and; three, repair the damage the poison has wrought on the half-demon’s body.

Rosie wastes no time ticking off number one. The antidote sloshes around in the bowl she holds in one hand as she cradles the back of Lisa’s head with the other. She gently lifts the bowl with the concoction up to Lisa’s lips, pouring almost all of the antidote into her patient’s mouth. She tilts Lisa’s head back and immediately hands off the empty bowl to Cotton who readily accepts it. She then uses her now free hand to close Lisa’s mouth and cover her nose to make sure she swallows all of it. Lisa finally gulps everything down and coughs.

The easiest part is done. Now onto the more difficult one.

Cotton comes back with a clean bowl as replacement. The healer nods her thanks. She moves to the wound on the demon’s side and stands over it. She closes her eyes, inhales deep through her nose and blows it slowly out of her mouth. She starts gathering magical energy and pooling it into her stomach.

She reaches for the Black Mamba venom on the shelf and puts five drops directly into the wound to numb the half-demon. She silently wishes it would numb the woman enough. Lisa would need all the sensory deprivation she can get without overdosing. She sets the venom aside.

“Cotton, the tube, please.” The healer holds up her hand and the familiar gives her the instrument with haste. It was a small but thick plastic tube, about ten inches long, its one end pointed.

Demons are definitely sturdier creatures than witches. It takes ten times more force to cut their skin compared to that of a human or a witch. So , Rosie casts a spell on the instrument, covering its pointed end with magical energy, both to cleanse it and to help it pierce the half-demon’s exposed muscle.

She turns her patient to her side, puts her hand over the woman’s hip, fingers splayed, holding her steady. She holds the tube right over the open wound. She starts humming a relaxation spell. Driving anything pointed into an already poisoned and rotting exposed wound… there are no words to describe how painful it would be. But she had to drain the poison and this was the only way.

 _Ah, this is going to hurt,_ Rosie thinks. She looks at her patient apologetically even if the woman isn’t going to see it. As much as she wanted to be gentle, she had to make sure the tube pierces through the half-demon’s insides.

_Okay, here goes nothing._

The healer drives the tube hard and feels the pointed end plunge into Lisa’s muscle, right at the center of the wound where most of the tar-like poison is.

Lisa’s eyelids fly open and she screams.

“Motherffuu-AAAAAHHHHHHH!!”

Rosie cringes and hums her relaxation spell a little louder, rubbing circles into Lisa’s hip. Lisa screams for another moment more and the healer worries that her spell isn’t working until she sees Lisa’s contorted face start to relax and hears the scream die down. She leans down close patient’s ear while holding the tube steady.

“That’s right, go back to sleep. It’s almost done, almost. I’m sorry.”

Rosie whispers and sing-songs her relaxation spell disguised as assurances and apologies over and over. It doesn’t take long before Lisa is completely limp on the bed, peacefully oblivious once again.

The healer exhales relief, wipes sweat off her brow. She places the other end of the tube into the new bowl. The dark tar-like poison drips out of the tube as the magical instrument does its job. After a little while, the dripping stops, and there is no trace left of the poison on the wound.

Rosie smiles. Step two is done. But now she’s come to step three, the most difficult of them all.

Right now, Lisa’s wound and insides look like spoiled, rotten raw meat. The healer exhales a shaky breath.

Rosie knew that the antidote would only be enough to save Lisa’s life. It doesn’t cure what the poison had already damaged and more than half of the other blonde’s body had already been destroyed. This meant that she would have to live the rest of her life unable to move from the neck down - unable to use her powers nor conjure anything.

But as Rosie’s fingertips touched the skin on the back of Lisa’s neck earlier, she felt a fire in the half-demon’s soul.

_Lisa is different._

Somehow, the healer _knows_ her that this half-witch, half-demon was meant to do bigger and greater things.

And she could tell Lisa is a fighter.

Oh, to Rosie, that was definitely obvious.

The woman is fighting to live and fighting _hard_. And something told the healer that if the half-demon had to live the rest of her life damaged from the poison, never again getting in touch with the magical part of it - that would be a tragedy the woman would never recover from.

So the healer decides won’t let that happen.

No, she wouldn’t let the fire inside this woman die. She had to heal whatever was damaged by the poison, too.

And she _can_.

She thinks.

But it’s incredibly difficult, with how much damage the half-demon suffered. It’s a feat that would not only require skill, but a level of magic Rosie doesn’t even know if she’s reached yet. But she has to try.

For this woman’s sake.

Jennie lets her friend work and focuses on her own task. She puts a tiny bit of the elixir on the piece of cloth. She moves Jisoo’s face, holding her chin. The seer is still completely out of it. Jennie smirks and gets an idea.

She dabs the cloth with the elixir on the cut on the seer’s head, but she presses it hard and the seer wakes up with a pained yelp.

“OW!”

“Shh.” Jennie holds a finger to her lips. Jisoo is just confused.

“I’m sorry for hurting you,” the mischief in her eyes belies her words, “but you need to be awake so you can witness this.”

Jennie nods towards the healer who is now standing eerily still in the middle of the room with her eyes closed. Jisoo doesn’t understand but she looks at Rosie, anyway.

The shapeshifter moves her face close to Jisoo and whispers.”

“Trust me seer, you will thank me later. This is something you cannot miss.”

And Jennie is right because what Jisoo is about to see next will blow her away.

Rosie closes her eyes and stands at the foot of the bed, in center of the room. Everything is still and quiet until she starts humming a low note.

The air crackles with magical energy. Jisoos eyes widen at the sudden charge of energy in the room. She gapes, looking at the shapeshifter with confusion and shock in her eyes. Jennie is still beside her, rapt attention on the healer.

The healer starts singing an unfamiliar melody. It was haunting and eerie and Jisoo feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand. The healer shifts to a higher note, and Jisoo feels the magical energy in the room build up along with the song. The melody suddenly crescendos, the healer’s vibrato echoing throughout the hut. Jisoo hears Jennie’s breath hitch, and she feels her own get stuck in her throat as goosebumps erupt on both their skins.

Rosie opens her eyes and the glow from them is blinding. The energy in the room is multiplied and Jisoo feels herself physically shrink back. A mixture of fear and awe grip the seer’s heart. The griffin below her hides its head under a wing, seemingly folding into itself.

A magical aura gathers around the healer, pulsating. She continues singing until her melody reaches a climax. Then, the aura transfers itself to Lisa, pushing itself into the half-demon’s parted lips. Lisa’s eyes open and Jisoo sees that they’re also glowing. The seer watches, transfixed, as the healer and half-demon are connected by magical energy.

The note is held in the air and Jisoo forgets to breathe completely.

The rot slowly disappears from Lisa’s flesh and then from Lisa’s wound, until her skin looked normal and her blood looked healthy. Every damaged cell in her body is being repaired

It clicks in Jisoo’s mind, whatever is happening. She realizes the healer is performing some sort of transfusion of magical energy.

The seer exhales. She’s at a loss of words.

_There is nothing like this in the tomes. Was this even possible?_

_This is amazing._

Jennie turns to look at the seer’s face and smiles in satisfaction at the expression she sees there. She turns to her best friend with a proud, smug look.

_Yep, that’s her girl._

The healer’s song comes to an end and it snaps Jisoo out of whatever haze that fell over her as she listened to the blonde sing.

Rosie feels exhaustion come over her and she falls forward, using both hands on the edge of her patient’s bed to steady herself. Her breath comes in short pants. Jennie is at her side in an instant, one hand on her arm and another on her waist, steadying her. Cotton is also flying in front of her.

“You okay?” Jennie asks, voice laced with concern. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

Rosie shakes her head.

“I’m fine. I just need to take a breath. You know it’s always draining when I do that.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Jennie lets go of the healer’s arm but uses the other to rub her back. Rosie straightens up after having caught her breath, and clears her throat.

“Cotton, can you get me some thread and a needle, and more water from the magical spring, please? I think there's another vial on the shelf.”

Cotton chirps and hands her a new bottle of the magical water.

“Here you go, Miss Rosie!”

“Thank you.”

Rosie smiles. Jennie leans in and whispers into her friend’s ear.

“You saved her life.”

The shapeshifter gives Rosie a kiss on the cheek.

“Good job, Rosie.”

The healer looks down and blushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like the update? I had a little difficulty writing this one, with all the describing magical things and describing the singing. I've never done that before lmao. I hope I met everyone's expectations. Apologies if the plot is moving slow. I felt like it was important to show everyone how Jennie transforms and how Rosie heals and also describe how unique and exceptional their powers are and they themselves are as witches.
> 
> Thank you also for all the comments and kudos on the last chapter. You guys are amazing. I feel loved. Tell me what you think about this one! Comments and critiques are greatly appreciated.
> 
> The next chapter will have more dialogue and will have Jennie and Jisoo talking lots.
> 
> Subscribe with your e-mail to get e-mail notifications for whenever I update, too. :D


	3. Jennie's Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosie just patches Lisa up. Jisoo has a lot of questions. Jensoo talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tweeted a poll and asked whether people wanted a longer update next week or a short one now and they said the longer one. But I don't listen to anyone and made the poll to annoy people, so.

Rosie picks up the needle and threads it with practiced ease, all the while humming her relaxation spell in place of anaesthesia. The half-demon already had five drops of magical Black Mamba venom which was incredibly potent - the healer didn’t want to risk an overdose, especially when her patient is still weak

Jennie leaves Rosie’s side so the healer could finish her work. She turns around and almost doubles over in laughter at the expression on Jisoo’s face, stopping herself at the last moment.

 _Same,_ Jennie thinks.

She had the same reaction when she first watched Rosie heal someone with her voice. The shapeshifter keeps her cool, carefully masking her amusement. She smirks and saunters over the seer.

“Need help picking your jaw off the floor?”

“H-huh?”

Jennie giggles.

“She’s _amazing_ , I know.”

Jisoo exhales, mouth still open.

“I have half a mind to shapeshift into a huge blow fly or a cockroach and go into your mouth.... Or ask Cotton to do it.”

Cotton, hearing its name, pauses mid-flight and chirps. Jennie turns to the familiar with a smile and shakes her head, mouthing “nothing”.

Jisoo closes her mouth and frowns. She looks at Jennie with brows furrowed and asks the question that’s been on her mind the whole time.

“What was that?”

“Hmm?” Jennie plays at being clueless. “What was what?”

Jisoo waves her hands around in the air.

“That!”

The shapeshifter picks up the elixir and the cloth. She smiles pouring a few drops of the potion on the cloth. When the shapeshifter gives no indication that she’ll be answering the question any time soon, Jisoo goes back to staring at the healer, but not before throwing a glare the shapeshifter’s way.

“The magic she does…” Jisoo exhales, still in awe. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Jennie’s hand freezes in the air, mid-dab, a brow raised in confusion.

“What? You’ve never witnessed the healing arts?” The shapeshifter’s voice is dramatically high-pitched and is dripping with sarcasm.

Jisoo glares at Jennie then rolls her eyes.

“Of course, I’ve seen healing magic, shapeshifter.”

Jennie presses the cloth hard against Jisoo’s wound.

“Ow! Hey!” Jisoo swats at Jennie’s hand. “What the hell?”

Jennie puts both hands on her hips and stands in all of her 5’2” glory.

“Don’t give me attitude, seer, or I’ll claw your eyes out. I’m not obligated to explain anything to you.”

“Fair enough, but let go of whatever your preconceived notion of my level of intelligence, because insulting me is unnecessary.”

Jennie laughs.

“Okay, seer, fair enough.”

Jisoo rolls her eyes.

“Thank you.”

Jennie looks her in the eye and accepts the daggers with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Come on, seer, I’m not done tending to your wound. Sit up so it’ll be easier for both of us.”

Jisoo sighs and obeys. She sees no point in fighting the shapeshifter although the woman is irking her greatly. Jennie dabs the wet cloth against the wound, accidentally pressing too hard. Jisoo hisses in pain and flinches.

“Oops, sorry.”

Jisoo sees that the shapeshifter was genuinely apologetic, so she allows the other witch to continue her work. They’re both saved from having to endure an awkward silence as the healer hums and sings a few words, here and there.

 _This song is familiar,_ Jisoo thinks. She feels like she’s heard it before, so she tries her best to recall.

“Hmmm, I think I know this song.” The remark slips out of Jisoo’s lips before her brain could catch it. It was a thought meant to stay within the confines of her brain because she definitely wasn’t interested in speaking to the shapeshifter.

“It’s from The Little Mermaid.”

Jisoo looks up at the shapeshifter. Jennie is just smiling genuinely, sparing a quick glance at the busy healer who immediately perked up and turned to them after hearing the movie title. Rosie sings the line “I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty,” with theatrical flourish for Jennie. The shapeshifter giggles, and claps her hands. Rosie smiles and turns back to the half-demon on the bed and Jennie does the same.

Jisoo still wears a question mark on her face. Jennie halts in her work with an incredulous expression.

“You don’t know Disney songs?”

Jisoo suddenly recalls the childish animated movies Lisa would force her to sit through on their off days from Ministry work.

“Oh, wait, you mean the cartoons where they sing and dance with the princesses and talking animals?”

Jennie actually laughs, mirth sparkling in her eyes and smile gummy. Jisoo would have never thought that this girl was a shapeshifter, let alone one with a terrifying panther form.

“Yes, yes, that’s it.” Jennie nods, still smiling and amused.

“Lisa loves those.”

“Rosie, too."

“Hmm.”

The shapeshifter goes back to just working quietly, but now the awkward tension between them has dissipated and Jennie seemed to be in a better mood. Jisoo stays quiet for a while, lost in her own thoughts. Silence between them hangs in the air until Jisoo speaks up again.

“Her style of healing… it looked like she was transferring her own magical energy.” Before Jennie could ignore her, Jisoo puts a hand on Jennie’s arm to get her attention. The shock and annoyance shows on Jennie’s face and Jisoo explains before the shapeshifter snaps and grows fangs to bite off her head.

“I practice Divination and I am a Lunar Aquarian and I will not stop bugging you about this until you tell me. So please, if you’re withholding information for no reason at all except because you dislike me, please stop and just tell me what you know.”

Jennie raises a challenging eyebrow.

“How do I know you won’t use whatever I say to hurt Rosie?”

“Because I was ready to die at your hands just to so your friend could save the life of my dumbass bestfriend and right now she just saved her.”

The shapeshifter sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Fine.”

Jisoo smiles and lets go of her hand.

“Thank you.”

Jennie looks at Rosie, before turning back to Jisoo and speaking in a low voice.

“Rosie’s healing powers… they come from her voice. I don’t understand how or why. I’ve looked at all the tomes and scrolls I could get my hands on, but there is nothing. And trust me, I have access to one of the most extensive collections of artifacts and literature on witchcraft, magic, and the other dimension.”

Jisoo nods. Jennie realizes she’s gone off-tangent a bit and gets back to her explanation.

“Anyway, from what Rosie’s told me, ever since she can remember, she has the ability to transfer magical energy to another magic user, whether they are a practitioner or a magical creature - basically anything living that’s not of the human world - demons included.

“However, doing that drains her of her own magical energy and we both fear that overdoing it might deplete her own reserves and render her non-magical. Or worse, kill her. So she doesn’t do it much and heals instead with the herbs she has in her greenhouse and other ingredients we collect every month.”

Jisoo nods again, processing the information. The wound on her head finally closes and all that’s left is a purple bruise in its place. Jennie hums satisfaction with her work, pulls her lips into a thin line and nods.

“Mhmm, mhmm. Your wound is all patched up, seer.”

“It’s Jisoo.”

“Huh?”

“My name… it’s Jisoo.”

“Oh, um… I’m Jennie.”

Both dark-haired witches are silent for a moment, just looking at each other; Jisoo is just staring at Jennie, studying her face while Jennie waits for Jisoo to reply.

Jennie isn’t a fan of awkward silences so she looks down at her bare feet, having forgotten to put her shoes on after transforming. Were they supposed to shake hands now and pretend she almost didn’t kill them earlier? She shifts her weight from one foot to another and clears her throat.

(She transforms into panther form and transforms back into human form with clothes on but for some reason her shoes are always left on the ground. She asked her grandmother who was a master shapeshifter once before, when she was just a child, why the shoes don’t transform with her. Her grandmother just chuckled and shrugged. Apparently, no one could explain why shoes never transition with shapeshifters.)

Jisoo just looks at Jennie; from the girl’s thin eyebrows to her cat-like eyes, her small nose, her soft lips, and to her round cheeks. The hard edges and fierceness was gone.

_She’s so different as a human… She’s a kitten._

Jisoo chuckles.

_She’s adorable._

Jennie looks up and raises an eyebrow, a silent “ _what?_ ” in the air. Jisoo shakes her head, smiling.

“Nothing,” Jisoo chuckles. “It’s that, you were terrifying earlier but you’re actually so harmless as a human.”

Jennie feels her face heat up in a blush. She throws the cloth at the seer’s face. Jisoo catches the cloth, still smiling.

“Shut up or I’ll bite your head off.”

Jisoo laughs.

“Okay, okay.”

Jennie harrumphs before turning on her heel, walking towards the healer. Rosie was already finished with stitching and is now putting some sort of balm over the closed wound. Jennie puts a hand on her lower back and rests her chin on her shoulder.

“Wifey, I just remembered I have to literally stitch close the hole that this one,” she motions her head towards Jisoo, “ripped open in the barrier. Be back in a bit?”

“Okay,” Rosie sing-songs, still focused on her task. “But be careful and call us if there’s anything suspicious. You know it’s also not safe for you outside and it’s still the Shadow Hours.”

“It’s almost dawn but I’ll still be careful.”

“Hmm. Take Cotton with you just to be sure?”

“Okay. Cotton, let’s go!”

Jennie turns around and exits the hut with Cotton flying behind her.

Jisoo’s eyes follow Jennie until the shapeshifter is out of the hut. Something that the shapeshifter said caught Jisoo’s attention: she had access to one of the most extensive collection of tomes and scrolls of the magical world. The question of who these witches are and why she has never heard of them has been nagging Jisoo’s mind, but now she has half an answer to it.

There are only three libraries in the magical world that are worthy of such a title; first is the Ministry’s archives to which Jisoo has 24/7 access to and she knows like the back of her hand, second is the library of the Dark Arts and Demonic Artifacts which only her father and a few other high ranking Ministers have had access to for decades, and the third is the personal collection of an ancient family of master shapeshifters with a bloodline tracing back to the first witches.

Jisoo gulps.

This Jennie is no ordinary shapeshifter.

She’s Jennie Kim, heiress of the Lynx, and the last shapeshifter of their bloodline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill~ Kudos and comments fuel my writing! You can talk to me on twitter through: @rosiespinky.


	4. Jisoo and Rosie talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosie finished patching Lisa up. She and Jisoo talk. The griffin wants attention. Jennie is jealous. Don't believe the shapeshifter, everything in this fic is gay and magical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! An update in four days? I must be your whore! Anyway, I created a collection for fluffy one-shots and drabbles for the universe in this fic. It's called A Song Of Fluff. It will feature random moments between the girls, some happened in the past, some will happen in the future. Check it out here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/WitchAUFluff

Rosie finishes wrapping up the wound on her patient’s side. She grabs a pillow under the bed then puts it behind Lisa’s back to prop her up, so the woman doesn’t turn in her sleep and accidentally lie down on the side with the still-tender skin. She stands back up straight before giving her work a last once over, then smiles with satisfaction at what she sees - the neat and tight bandages, the comparatively healthier looking skin around it and the very obvious lack of corruption and rot. 

The healer dusts off her hands exaggeratedly then puts them on her hips, lips drawn into a thin line that her cheeks bunch up on the sides of her face. If anyone was looking at her, they would think she looked both smug and dumb at the same time.

“Mhmm. Mhmm. Good work.” Rosie nods to herself in pride.

The half-demon should recover with only a scar on her side. But if her demon blood is as strong as the healer suspects it is, in a few years her skin would bear no mark at all. 

Now that she has a moment to breathe, Rosie can’t help but let her eyes roam the rest of her patient. Curiosity has been eating at the hem of her consciousness and finally, with everything done, she can inspect this stranger whom fate unceremoniously dropped into her lap.

Her eyes scan her patient from head to toe; long blonde hair and full bangs that are now swept away, pulled by gravity as she lays on her side, cute forehead peaking through looking a little wide  _ (maybe that’s the reason for the full bangs?), _ thick sculpted brows, eyelids closed revealing long lashes, soft baby cheeks, a nose that’s a little wide  _ (but cute and suits her face) _ , completed by equally soft-looking parted lips and a cute small chin.

Rosie blows out a breath.  _ Whew, this woman is attractive _ . But that wasn’t all; everything about the half-demon’s face was soft and innocent.

With a closer look, Rosie realizes that the half-demon is sporting fangs on the upper row of her teeth, too. They weren’t long like vampire fangs, but they were definitely more pointed and pronounced to be witch or human.

_ Oh my god.  _ Rosie covers half of her face with both hands in a quiet squee.  _ That’s so cute! _

The healer reaches out, and feels the pointed end of the fang with a fingertip before pulling it back in haste fearing that she might wake the half-demon up. She feels a fluttering in her stomach and  balls her hands up in fists to her chest, scrunching her face, doing her best to hold herself back from just screaming at how adorable the half-demon’s fangs are.

A squeak still escapes her mouth and one hand immediately flies to cover it. She looks to the side where the dark-haired witch is seated on the bench, to see if the woman had seen her embarrassing display.

Thankfully, the woman was looking at the door, seemingly lost in thought. Rosie straightens her self back up and smooths down her torn nightgown.

_ Okay, I need to calm down,  _ Rosie tells herself.

The healer clears her throat and tries her best, but the half-demon looked so adorable, and not at all demonic, sleeping soundly like that.

_ Gods, she looks like a sleeping child. So cute, _ Rosie thinks. She hears a soft snoring sound followed by a soft whistle and she stifles her giggle behind a hand.  _ Oh gosh, she snores, too! _

But another thought suddenly comes into her mind, a dark cloud blocking the sun. She holds a closed fist against her lips.

_ Why would anyone want to kill her? _

The healer decides she needs to discuss this with her patient’s dark-haired companion. The kind of poison that was used did not sit well with Rosie and the leftover magical energy from the neutralized poison she extracted made her skin crawl - it was sinister and only the most evil creature could inject so much darkness in the substance. She looks up at Jisoo. Jisoo is still looking at the door, brow furrowed. Rosie realizes the other woman and the griffin still needed tending to, so she pads soundlessly over to them.

“Hey.” Rosie greets softly, but Jisoo jumps. The healer holds up a placating hand, apologetic expression on her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Jisoo puts a hand against her chest, over her madly beating heart. The healer smiles sweetly at her then looks down, avoiding her eyes. Messy blonde hair curtains her face and, out of instinct, she tucks one side behind an ear.

For an instant, Jisoo forgets to breathe. She feels her insides melt and her heart skip a beat. The healer was breathtakingly beautiful up close, even after being unceremoniously roused from her sleep by a fighting panther, a witch, a half-demon, and a griffin, and then performing rigorous spells and healing. Even the most heterosexual of women would agree that this healer looked insanely attractive. 

The visions she saw pale in comparison to the real thing; they’re like a pirated camcording. Now they’re face to face, Jisoo feels like she’s watching blu-ray on the 4k TV she and Lisa had at their apartment.

Rosie clears her throat and Jisoo realizes she’s been staring dumbly (again) for spirits know how long. Jisoo closes her eyes, exhales, then opens them again to clear out the haze. She smiles at the healer and the healer returns it with the same amount warmth.

All of a sudden, Rosie holds her hand out for Jisoo to shake and Jisoo is startled. Rosie giggles at her reaction.

“I’m Rosie, by the way. I’m sure Jennie did a good job patching you up but I just wanted to check on how you are before I start working on your griffin’s wound.”

The griffin shuffles at the foot of the bench, finally glad someone acknowledged that it also needed attention.

Jisoo looks at the offered hand and takes it with both of hers. It was the healer’s turn to be surprised but then she sees the seer looking up at her with so much emotion in her eyes from her position on the bench. Rosie’s heart aches. She knows what the other woman is about to say.

Jisoo feels tears sting her eyes.

“You saved her.” Jisoo’s voice cracks. “You really saved her.”

The seer swallows thickly, looking down at the surprisingly smaller hand enclosed in hers. She puts a lid on all of her emotions, trying her best not to have a breakdown. The last thing she wants is to be an emotional wreck in front of this gorgeous woman who also happens to be a very talented and skilled witch. She would rather leave as much of a dignified first impression as she can.

But Jisoo allows the gratitude to fill her up to the brim, careful to tip herself back before she overflows. She brings the healer’s hand to her lips to place a gentle kiss on it, leaving gratitude and affection written on the healer’s skin. Rosie feels her whole face heat up and covers her face with one hand.

“Thank you. Me and my friend will be forever indebted to you.”

“No, no, no!” Rosie waves her hand around, suddenly feeling incredibly shy. “I’m a healer and it’s my job.”

Jisoo smiles with her eyes and lets go of the blonde’s hand, feeling how embarrassed the blonde suddenly is.  _ That’s adorable, _ Jisoo thinks. 

“Well, you are one very brilliant healer. I’ve never seen anyone do what you did. In fact, I didn’t think it was possible at all.” She tried to convey as much warmth in her next words as there was awe, to put the other woman at ease.

If Lisa was awake to witness it all she would have rolled her eyes at her best friend’s attempts at being smooth.

Rosie bites her lips, fiddles with her thumbs, and nods.

“So I’ve been told. I’ve had the ability since I was a child. I don’t know anyone else like me either.”

There was a tinge of sadness in the last statement and Jisoo’s heart ached. Deep inside, the seer knew that there must have been so much loneliness for the healer as she grew up with such a unique gift.

Jisoo knew because she grew up not really knowing anyone else with the gift of vision, too. It was a rare gift and not all who were born with it manage to develop it; some seers lose the ability as they become older. Jisoo was one in a thousand witches who was lucky enough to carry the gift into adulthood.

The Ministry’s previous seer had died before Jisoo was born, so Jisoo had no other seer to talk to. When her father discovered that she had the gift of vision, Jisoo was no older than seven years old. He sent Jisoo together with Lisa, his ward, to study with masters of the different magical arts and scholars to develop her gift but also make sure that she was the best witch she could be.

Of  course, the whole time she was studying away from home, Lalisa was with her. Lisa took witchcraft studies with her at first but her father realized that her witch blood was overpowered by her demon blood and she had little talent with spellcasting. However, Minister Kim discovered that Lisa was a good fighter and was physically strong, so he got master fighters and trainers to tutor her, instead. Jisoo and Lisa would move cities and places now and then, going from expert to expert, mentor to mentor, until her father told them, “enough, come home.”

When they returned home when Jisoo was twenty and Lisa was eighteen, Jisoo’s father immediately recruited them as agents under the Ministry. Jisoo, using her gift of vision and her expertise in divination, worked for the intelligence division of the Ministry while Lisa with her powers of conjuring and expertise in hand-to-hand combat, practical invulnerability with her half-demon blood, worked as a field agent and operative. At times, Jisoo and Lisa were made to work as a unit because their strengths and weaknesses complemented each other; Lisa was the brawns and Jisoo was the brain, Jisoo was the magical and Lisa was the physical.

But in all that time, even with Lisa always by her side, Jisoo never felt like someone understood the burden she carried possessing such a rare gift. Other witches put their lives in danger doing forbidden spells just to see a glimpse of the future, to find answers to their problems - Jisoo literally got her answers in dreams and daydreams without needing to flex any magical muscle.

However, at times Jisoo felt like people saw nothing more to her except her gift. Sure, her father was a kind and loving man, always giving her and Lisa what they want, even until now that they’re adults (the 4k TV was from him). But she knew he used her gift to his advantage, gaining higher and higher positions in the Ministry until he became one of the three High Ministers.

Jisoo just sighs, looking up sincerely at the healer, wishing that all her sympathy is conveyed in the vibrations in the air between them.

“I understand what you mean. I am a seer and I don’t know any other seers besides me. It does feel lonely.”

Rosie’s eyes widen at Jisoo’s statement. Some deep part of her knows that what the seer said was the truth and she feels amazed that the cosmos had worked in this way - that this random stranger who just barged into her shop and home is someone who understands. Jisoo scoots and pats the space on the bench beside her, asking the healer to sit. Rosie looks to the griffin who was waiting to be tended to, a brow raised in question. Jisoo laughs and addresses the loyal creature.

“I just need to talk to her, okay, Hinsaekie? You’ve had worse injuries. Stop being dramatic.”

The griffin turns away and snorts as if annoyed at its owner. The seer wasn’t wrong, of course, but it has never felt so ignored his whole life. Jisoo was always such a doting mother to it. It lays its head on the ground and decides to take a nap.

Rosie just laughs in amusement at the griffin and acquiesces the seer, perching herself on the bench beside her. Jisoo angles her body towards the healer and clears her throat.

The seer’s warm aura is suddenly dampened by something dark and Rosie immediately feels that. A mask of grim seriousness is on Jisoo’s face.

“I need to ask you something important; do you know what poison was used on my friend?”

If Jisoo had to guess, she’d go for the healer knowing exactly what it was because there was no way she could have counteracted it without knowledge of what it was. But who knew? The healer has shown Jisoo tonight that she’s capable of many feats.

Hearing the question, Rosie couldn’t help but mirror the seer’s mood. The seer picks up on the significant change in the healer’s expression and the anger and thirst for revenge is awakened in her chest.

“That’s exactly what I came over here for.” Rosie looks down and thinks of how she should go about telling the other woman what she knows. She decides to go with facts first before her deductions. “The poison used on her was the sweat of a cursed Hynerian frog.”

Jisoo looked at Rosie with a blank expression, not understanding magical terms all of a sudden. Rosie clears her throat. She has a lot of explaining to do.

“Hynerian frogs are a rare breed of magical amphibians. There are very few. They’re native to the Blessed Hill that’s magically cloaked in the outskirts of Rome.”

Jisoo nods, knowing about the hill. Rosie smiles, continuing.

“Hynerian frogs are incredibly fast and strong. They were once humanoid and fought in the old wars along-side witches. Now, evolution has made them look like normal frogs.”

Jisoo hums. She knows about Hynerian frogs and about their history.

“But something that not many witches know is that the sweat of these frogs have healing properties. It was said that they could bring people back from near-death and any form of dismemberment to unscathed and completely healthy. However, some evil witches from centuries ago found a way to corrupt the sweat and turn it into poison, instead. They put a curse on the frog, hold it over a fire, and gather the sweat that comes out of it until it dies. The sweat becomes the poison.”

Jisoo blows out a breath, consciously filing all the information away yet subconsciously feeling giddy at all the new knowledge at the same time. She realizes something, though, and steps in to ask the healer a question.

“Wait, even if this poison is the deadliest poison in the world, the spells I performed to slow it down or strengthen Lisa’s bodily defenses against it should have still somehow worked. But they didn’t. Why?”

Rosie nods, expecting this question.

“There are many ways to corrupt a Hynerian frog and equally as many kinds of poisons that can be made out of them.” Rosie looks down and picks at her thumb before looking up and into the seer’s eyes. “The poison they gave her was poison specifically used to kill demons. It was her witch blood that kept her alive.”

Jisoo’s mouth hangs open and the rate of her heartbeat multiplies tenfold. She reaches out to grip the healer’s hands.  _ There was no way. _ Rosie continues.

“So, the first aid spells you performed didn’t work because they were probably spells meant to cure witches, not demons.”

Jisoo feels like heaven and earth switched places and she doesn’t know what is up, down, left or right any more. Anxiety ate at her being, fear crawled like nasty critters under her skin, and terror wrapped its slimy tentacles around her throat. Rosie’s senses are open from just performing her healing spell on Lisa and she is suddenly flooded with the dark energy from the seer. She immediately wraps her arms around the dark-haired woman and closes her eyes, mentally reciting prayers to the Taurean goddess and the stars for calm.

Jisoo feels the healer’s touch and closes her eyes too, helplessly sinking into the other woman’s warmth and comfort. She feels arms tightening around her and hands rubbing her back. She lets herself drown in the scent of sweet berries and nuts with a hint of sweat and exhales against the healer’s exposed collarbone.

Jennie chooses this moment to saunter back into the hut, feet light as a cat’s.

“Rosie, the barrier’s--”

The two women look up and Jisoo tries to pull away but the healer keeps her firmly in place. Jennie’s eyes sharpen and she raises a brow.

“Okay?” Jennie glares at Jisoo who flinches. “I leave to fix the mess YOU made and I come back to you stealing MY wifey?” Jisoo wonders if she’s hearing things or Jennie as a witch actually ended that sentence with a panther’s growl.

Rosie’s laughter cuts the tension in the room.

“Wifey, no one could ever steal me from you.” Rosie blows Jennie a kiss.

The healer’s arms fall to her side and Jisoo sits back up straight, holding a fist up to her lips and clearing her throat to calm her nerves. She doesn’t know the nature of the relationship of the healer and the shapeshifter, and so far what she’s gathered is that the shapeshifter is a very jealous and protective lover.

At the back of her mind, the healer wonders which of them was the luckier one? The healer for dating a strong and loyal shapeshifter from a powerful bloodline or the shapeshifter for dating a healer who is quite literally like no one else.

Jennie holds to fingers up her eyes then points them at Jisoo, silently saying, “I’m watching you, I’m watching you.”

Jisoo gulps and holds up her hands in surrender.

“I’m not trying to steal your girlfriend, shapeshifter.”

Rosie throws her head back in hearty laughter, putting a hand on the seer’s shoulder. Jennie joins in, cackling loud with a hand over her stomach. They both blurt out their clarifications.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” says Jennie.

“She’s straight,” points out Rosie.

Jisoo just looks at them in confusion. They laugh again.

“She’s kidding. She’s just very protective of me,” Rosie explains.

Jennie loops her arm around Rosie’s shoulders and presses a kiss against the healer’s temple.

“That’s because I love you and I owe you my life.”

Rosie blushes and smiles, looking up at Jennie.

“Okay, I love you, too. Now, come join us. We were talking about something important and you should hear this, too.”

Jennie nods.

“Okay, but I’m very tired. Let me just go into cat-form so I can conserve my energy, okay? Cotton went off somewhere, too. He said he’ll be back in a bit.”

Rosie nods and sing-songs, “okay.”

Jennie bends down and in the time it takes for her hands to touch the ground, her soft porcelain skin becomes covered in black fur; hands and feet shrink to tiny paws; round human ears become pointed and move to the top of her head; whiskers sprout from her cheeks. Her transformation is punctuated by a tail sprouting from behind her, swishing left to right.

Jisoo watches the shapeshifter transform for the second time that night. It still takes her breath away.

Jennie, as a cat, stretches her front legs then her hips and hind legs before yawning wide. She jumps onto Rosie’s lap, rubs herself against the healer’s torso and settles herself comfortably on the blonde. Rosie instinctively rubs the cat’s forehead, the space in the middle, right above Jennie’s eyes. Jennie purrs.

“Mmmm. Okay, go on with whatever you guys were talking about.”

Rosie snorts in amusement and turns to the seer with a smile.

“My name is Roseanne, by the way, but you can call me Rosie.” The healer keeps petting the shapeshifter on her lap who is now struggling to stay awake.

Jisoo beams right back at her.

“I’m Jisoo. I’m a seer. The half-demon you healed is my best friend, Lisa.”

Rosie looks over at the bed where her patient is still snoring peacefully, completely out of it.

“Hmmm. Lisa, huh?” Rosie whispers mostly to herself but Jisoo picks up on it. The seer raises an eyebrow. Interesting.

Rosie turns back to the dark-haired witch.

“I think your friend suits her name.”

One side of Jisoo’s lips quirk up and she looks knowingly at the healer. Yeah, even at the point of death Lisa still has that charm that draws girls to her. Rosie sees the seer’s expression.

“What?”

Jisoo shakes her head, smiling.

“Nothing.”

Rosie just looks at the healer for a moment then shrugs “okay”.

“So,” Jisoo starts again, “that was one way to clear the negative air between us, huh?”

Rosie giggles.

“I guess so. It worked well.”

Jisoo nods.

“Yes it did.”

The seer worries her bottom lip between her teeth. Rosie’s eyes instinctively follow the motion. The healer’s subconscious takes note of Jisoo’s lips - pretty and heart shaped. Jisoo realizes what the healer is staring at her and she smirks. Rosie is snapped out of her haze and looks up to meet Jisoo’s eyes. She sees it in the seer’s expression, how she got caught staring and she blushes, covering her face.

Jisoo feels her ego inflate. Yeah, Lalisa might be notorious lady charmer with her cute fangs and athleticism, but Jisoo  _ never _ lags behind.

Rosie clears her throat, trying to cool down the heat on her face. She tries to get them back on track. What were they talking about again? Feels like ages ago.

“Anyway…” Rosie starts, “about the poison…”

Jisoo shakes herself out of her non-heterosexual train of thought. There will be lots of time for that later and it’s always more fun to deal with girls when her best friend is awake, anyway.  _ Definitely later _ , Jisoo tells herself. Back to more pressing matters now.

Jennie fights sleep from Rosie’s lap with the healer’s hand brushing her. She was hearing muffled voices

“Lisa is no ordinary half-demon.” Jisoo blurts out all of a sudden. Her visions of the blonde healer flash before her eyes. She should be worried about sharing all of this to two witches she’d just met tonight. But there is heat at her nape and there is a prickling sensation at her fingertips. She might not be seeing visions now, but she knows what her gift is telling her now -  _ trust them, trust these witches, because they will play a bigger role in all of this.  _ The spirits are speaking and it was Jisoo’s job to listen.

“I-,” the seer sighs, running a hand through her messy hair from the fight. How does she begin to explain everything? It’s all so complicated, now. “You see, I’m Jisoo Kim, daughter of High Minister Kim, seer and senior divinator at the Ministry. Lalisa has been my father’s ward for sixteen years and a Ministry operative for four.” Jisoo’s voice shakes.

Rosie realizes why their names rung a bell. She knows these witches and their names. Jennie’s ears perk up and suddenly she’s awake. Jisoo isn’t done with her explanation.

“Lisa isn’t any ordinary half-demon, half witch. She’s the daughter of Marco, the demonic high general and the witch who was the last daughter of clan Manoban.”

Rosie forgets to breathe. Jennie’s tail stops swishing and stills.

The demonic and witch wars ended more than thirty years ago. It was after a high ranking demonic official changed his views and beliefs, pushing instead for peace. It was all in the textbooks and tomes. Jennie grew up learning about the history. Rosie heard about the stories from the old witches and from Cotton, too. Jisoo knows what they’re thinking, reads the thoughts plainly-written on their faces.

“Yes, well, the books never talked about how the reason Marco changed was because he fell in love with a young talented witch, how they got married after the war, how they had a child twenty-two years ago.”

Rosie and Jennie are stunned. Jisoo continues.

“Marco angered many demons with anti-witch sentiments but received more support from much of the demon population who were tired of fighting, weary of the wars. He and other high officers signed a peace treaty with the Ministry and he stepped down from power soon after. He assumed another identity and lived instead in the midst of witches. What the books also don’t tell you is that Marco and his wife were assassinated in their home, sixteen years ago, while their daughter Lalisa slept over at my house.”

Silence blankets the whole hut. Jisoo’s face is grim.

“Since she was six and I was eight, Lisa and I lived together. No one else except me, my father, and some high officials in the Ministry knew of Lisa’s true identity.

But six months ago, we received reports of deaths of demons who have reformed themselves and have lived peaceful lives since the war. There was one link amongst all of them - they associated with Marco and supported him in ending the demonic and witch wars. My father kept me away from the case and assigned it to another team, but I kept tabs on it. With what happened tonight, I believe all of this points to one thing - someone learned of Lalisa’s identity and wants to kill her.”

Jisoo turns to Rosie and speaks to her directly.

“And I feel like you appeared in my visions for a bigger reason, not just so you could save Lalisa’s life tonight. I feel like I’m going to need your help if I want to keep her safe and alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm giving you more Lisoo backstory either in the next chapter or in A Song Of Fluff: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/WitchAUFluff
> 
> Stay tuned!


	5. Jisoo's Visions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo has three separate visions. The first, about the child baptized in runes; second, about the child born in flames, and; third, she sees her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut the story off here. I was planning to write more but people were looking for an update (like I've ghosted you lot) and I figured it's best to make this one focus on the visions and the prophecy.

The image of hands swim into Jisoo’s vision. There are smudges of dirt all over them and some soil stuck under the nails. She feels prickling at the pads of her fingers and an itch in the middle of her palm. Jisoo realizes the hands are hers. She feels them, opening her hand wide, splaying fingers, before closing her them and balling them into fists slowly. Her vision blurs and everything goes out of focus before clearing back up again. She hears nothing but her heartbeat and labored breathing.

_Where was she? What is this?_

She looks up and she’s in the mountains - literally inside of one. A cavern?

There’s a pool of glowing blue water in the middle, casting an eerie blue light on everything, illuminating the runes etched on the walls, sprawling in all directions. The runes are pulsating, glowing blue, also. Jisoo translates runes and glyphs for a living, all day, every day in the Ministry’s Intelligence division but she doesn’t understand what the runes are saying. So, these runes must be ancient, written in a language she doesn’t know - a language that predates witchcraft, a language meant for the angels and starseeds and the spirits and the gods and goddesses.

She feels her consciousness sway, like the lights of her mind are flickering and she feels like she’s floating. She looks down at her feet and sees her toes digging into dirt but doesn’t feel the dust, or the soil, or even her toes for that matter.

 _So this is a vision, then,_ she tells herself.

Her visions manifest themselves differently. Sometimes they come to her in dreams or daydreams, sometimes it interferes with her reality and sees things happening in places where it has happened or where it’s going to happen. Sometimes she relives her memories but sees them from a different point of view.

Jisoo hasn’t mastered her gift completely just yet but she’s found ways to trigger her intuition, ways to let her gift point her to the right direction. Most of the time, she’s just a silent viewer. And over the years, she’s started to see that maybe her gift isn’t meant to be controlled, that she is just a vessel for truth.

If only she’d had an older, more experienced seer to consult with… _If only…_ Jisoo feels her awareness fade.

_What was the last thing she did again? Ah, right. The healer used a little sleeping spell on her with her consent after their little talk. The shapeshifter was wary of her and wanted to talk to the healer in private. Yes, that’s…_

Jisoo feels a sharp tap on her head and she’s snapped out of her thoughts. She comes to, back in her vision. She sees little rocks falling from above, rolling down the sides then bouncing off the floor, _tick, tack, thunk_.

_Guess that’s what hit me._

Her eyes follow the rocks, each one as they fall. She subconsciously counts them in a song.

 _One little, two little, three little pebbles, four little, five little, six little pebbles-_ Jisoo realizes these little rocks are falling because the whole mountain is shaking, vibrating. Her intuition tells her one thing; the mountain is about to collapse. She feels fear creep in, her amygdala triggered by what she’s seeing. She calms herself down, breathing in and out, constantly telling herself that this is a vision, probably in a dream, and her body is safe and asleep and she isn’t in any real danger.

More rocks fall, bigger ones this time. Something tells her the mountain is about to collapse soon. Two hooded figures come running in and Jisoo watches them. One was a little taller and a little broader, the other smaller and a little petite.

_A man and a woman?_

They avoid the rocks as much as they can, but some of the smaller ones hit them. The couple appears to be covering something in their arms. A huge rock narrowly misses the head of the hooded figure with the smaller built.

 _“Claire!”_ screams the taller one, a man’s voice. The smaller one turns to him in reassurance.

_“I’m fine, I’m fine, Mason. The mountain is collapsing. We’ve got to hurry.”_

The man nods and they reach the pool of glowing blue liquid. The two figures kneel and they remove their hoods, and unwrap a bundle in their arms. Jisoo’s eyes widen.

The bundle in their arms is a _baby_.

And as if on cue, the infant cries a soft pitiful wail. The woman rocks the child in her arms, shushing it.

_“There, there, Rosie. It’s all going to be fine soon, okay? Mama promises you.”_

The woman, Claire, places a kiss on the child’s forehead and the man, Mason, follows suit.

 _“It’s going to be all better after this, sweetheart.”_ The man whispers.

The mountain shakes and groans, warning the couple that the clock is ticking. Bigger rocks begin to fall. They quickly get to work. The woman holds the baby over the water then ever so gently puts her in it. The baby sinks until it’s completely submerged. Only bubbles of air from the baby’s breath are left on the surface.

Jisoo gasps and tries to scream, but the words ‘stop’ and ‘no’ only ring in her mind. This is a vision and it’s either this has happened in the past, is happening in the present somewhere far away from her, or will happen in the future; whichever it is, there is nothing Jisoo can do that will have a physical effect in it.

The man closes his eyes and starts an incantation. The woman follows suit. They chant, louder  and louder, the words unfamiliar and sounding almost animal to Jisoo’s ears. The words were harsh and unrefined. The hair on the back of Jisoo’s neck stand. This was no ordinary spell. She could feel the magical energy deep within her bones, and she’s not even physically there.

The couple open their eyes at the same time, chanting still. Their eyes glow the same blue as the pool. Bubbles of air appear on the surface. Suddenly the child emerges from deep under, eyes also glowing blue, with the same runes on the walls etched on its skin.

The rumbling worsens. The infant starts floating in the air, skin glowing faintly of blue. The couple’s chanting softens until they come to a stop. The runes on its skin disappear and the glowing fades. The woman reaches out and takes the baby into her arms, letting out loud gut-wrenching sobs.

“Oh, my baby! My Rosie! You’re alive!” She kisses the child’s face over and over. The man wipes his tears.

“Come on, we have to leave before the mountain collapses.”

Suddenly, a huge boulder falls on Jisoo’s head and everything goes black.

The seer doesn’t know how much time passed when she comes to. She was just floating, suspended, in emptiness, conscious but not feeling nor thinking - just existing. When she slowly comes to her senses, the first thing that registers im her mind were voices.

Jisoo opens her eyes and suddenly she’s in her childhood home. She felt the smooth wood under her bare feet and the tall dark walls came into focus. She’s standing in the middle of the hall on the second floor of their mansion, her own room to her left. The end of the hall was cast in shadow and everything was only illuminated by the light from the room ten paces from her. If Jisoo remembered correctly, that was the library. The voices are coming from there.

“There’s no time, Marco. She’s due on tomorrow’s full moon. Your daughter wants to be born now.”

There was no urgency nor panic in the voice. It sounded direct, like it was just stating facts. The second voice responding to it was a bit more tense, a little more worried.

“She can’t give birth here! I have to take her to Phlegethon! She has to give birth in the middle of the flames!”

The first voice laughs. Jisoo recognizes this voice. She knew it well, even though she did not hear it much during her childhood; but she heard it give order after order in her adulthood or speak endlessly about how her gift could be used to strengthen the Ministry. This voice sounded different, though, a little more youthful and less jaded. It was her father’s.

“Because of Ameera’s prophecy?”

“Yes! Exactly!”

Jisoo finally recognizes the second voice though she hasn’t heard it in almost two decades (and probably never will again). It was Marco’s, Lisa’s father.

Minister Kim’s laughter cuts through the air. Jisoo feels her legs moving and she looks down. The seer gasps, but her mouth doesn’t move and the sound is confined in her mind.

Her legs were short and stubby, like a two year old’s. The tiny feet continue marching, her eyes locked on it. She marches until she reaches the entrance to the library and she’s bathed in light.

She’s blinded for a second, before a tall shadow steps in.

“Sooya?”

She feels two strong hands clasp her sides and feels her feet leave the ground. Her father pulls her to his chest and secures her with an arm around her bottom and a big hand on her back, holding her to him.

Then it dawns on her - this vision is a memory. It’s not one she recalls but she’s absolutely certain it is.

“Sweetheart, you should be asleep now. What are you doing up?”

She feels her father press a gentle kiss against her temple, feels him sway and rock her gently. Her father’s face is huge and warm and friendly. She doesn’t remember ever seeing it like this. It was nice. She snuggles against his neck and sighs. Her father smelled of sandalwood and safety. Her father speaks again, but it is directed towards Marco.

“My dear friend, Ameera’s prophecy spoke of a child born in the flames. It never said anything about the flaming river.” He ends it with a chuckle.

“But, I-,” Marco stops, realizing what Jisoo’s father is saying. “ _Oh_.”

Minister Kim laughs.

“Yes. _Oh_.”

Marco laughs, too, the sound bellied and booming.

“Yes, my friend. I can arrange for two of my best spellcasters and conjurers to help me bathe the operation room in fire that will not harm the midwife, your wife, and your daughter. Fire will touch your skins but it will not burn you.”

“I-,” Marco is at a loss of words. “You will be at my daughter’s birth? You will lead the spellcasting yourself?”

“Yes. I promise you that. You are family to me, after all.”

There are tears in Marco’s eyes and a soft smile on Minister Kim’s lips. Marco clasps his shoulder and Minister Kim just nods. Somehow, Jisoo feels the unspoken words that hung in the air between them, like she could just reach out and pluck them. But she feels herself starting to doze off, her little head falling to rest completely on her father’s shoulder, bit by bit.

She sees little sheep hopping over a fence, and starts counting by instinct. _One, two, three, four…_ The two year old yawns and she feels her father’s chest vibrate from a deep chuckle.

“Oh, and when your Lalisa is born, I’m sure my Jisoo will love and treat her like family, too.”

The voices fade and the world once again goes black. Jisoo falls asleep and feels herself enter into a dream.

She sees a soft orange glow in the middle of nothingness. The glow gets bigger and bigger until she opens her eyes and she’s in a room engulfed in fire. She feels nothing and hears nothing, only sees what is happening. There are shadows dancing in all directions and flames dancing, licking, lapping, at everything but not engulfing anything, not destroying. It was absolutely breathtaking - just the beauty of fire and none of it’s destructiveness.

There are figures in the room and she realizes knows three of those - her father, Marco, and his pregnant wife in labor. Her father stands in the middle eyes a-glow, arms stretched wide and chanting continuously, Marco and his wife in front of him. Jisoo just watches, enraptured. The wife screams as she tries her best to push and Marco holds her hand faithfully by her side. The baby crowns, and Marco puts a hand over his mouth as tears start silently falling. The baby comes out easily and a shrill wail pierces through Jisoo’s silent vision. Suddenly, Jisoo can hear everything; her father’s chanting, the flames crackling, Marco’s soft sobs, his wife’s ragged breathing, and new-born Lalisa crying and announcing her entrance into the world. She sees the flames touch Lisa’s skin, as if caressing it.

 _A child born in flames…_ Jisoo thinks, and the world once again goes black.

When Jisoo comes to, she sees her father in front of her. Some strands of his clean, close-cropped hair is graying, his brow is furrowed, and he seemed to be busy writing something in his journal. She checks herself first, already aware that this is a vision this time, and sees that her whole body is transparent - that she’s like a ghost.

 _Huh,_ Jisoo muses, _haven't had visions where I'm on the astral plane in a while. Cool._

The seer takes a step and accidentally bumps into a trash can. The thing stumbles over and crashes on the floor with a loud thud and clatter, the sound jolting the Minister from his work.

 _Oh, so this vision is the kind where she is able to interfere with the word in small ways._ Jisoo can count the times she had this kind of vision on one hand for her whole life as a seer. This is incredibly rare and usually presents only a possible scenario, an event that is not fixed in time and Jisoo has the power to change as reflected by her ability to affect it physically.

Her father looks side to side, scanning the room quick. There is thinly-veiled panic on his face and Jisoo watches his adam’s apple rise and fall as he gulps. The man was scared, and his throat was parched. Jisoo feels worry gnaw its dull teeth at her heart.

_Something’s wrong._

“Who’s there?”

Minister Kim’s voice is frantic and paranoid. She’s never heard him like this. Anxiety eats her up. She decides to answer, to see how that would play out, but as she opens her mouth a shadowy tentacle slithers up his father’s chest and wraps itself around his neck.

“ _DAD_!”

Jisoo screams, running to her father. She tries to grab at the shadow, but her hands only pass through.

“Ji---soo?” Minister Kim chokes and coughs, struggling to speak.

At the sound of her name, the shadowy tentacle stills, then slithers away faster than it arrived. Her father breathes lungfuls of air and coughs, holding a hand to his neck. Suddenly, the shadows in the room aren’t as heavy as when she arrived.

They were here, already waiting.

“Jisoo.” Her attention snaps back to her father. He’s rubbing his neck where the shadow left a purpling bruise. He coughs and clears his throat. Jisoo can feel the impotance of what he’s about to say next, just from how hard he’s struggling to say it. “Where are you?”

“Right here in front of you, dad. I’m astral.”

Her father nods, looking at the space in front of him. He searches for any glimmer, any indication of a disturbance in the space to see where his daughter is. He sees little ripples of reality just above Jisoo’s head. He focuses his eyes there while talking to her.

“Daughter, Ameera’s prophecy.” Minister Kim wheezes. Jisoo moves closer to hear better. Her father follows the ripples with his eyes and continues speaking.  “The prophecy has two parts… you only know about the second part, the-”

“The child born in flames - Lisa.”

“Yes, yes,” the minister nods and coughs again. “There is a first part to it that I’ve been trying to decode. I was going to share it with you soon in hopes that it might trigger your gift. But the elements in the dark have started moving and they’ve become bolder, attacking still even under the light of a full moon.”

Jisoo nods before remembering her father cannot see her, so she says a quick, “yes”.

“The first part speaks about ‘a child baptized in runes’.”

The images of her earlier vision flit through her mind; the cavern, the pool in the middle of glowing blue liquid, the runes etched on the walls, the couple, and the _baby_ . So what she saw was a _baptism_.

Her father senses her presence and took her silence as a sign to continue. So he does.

“It’s said that these two would bring about peace. At first, when Ameera told me of her visions on this prophecy, I thought it was Lalisa’s parents, Marco and Karina; with Marco, a demon, as the child born in flames and Karina, a witch, as the child baptized in runes. But no--,”

“Dad,” Jisoo interrupts him. “I just had a vision before I was taken here by the gift,” she blows out a shaky breath. “I was in a cavern inside a mountain and I saw a child being baptized in a pool that was glowing blue. There were runes on the walls - very ancient ones that I couldn’t understand - and after the baby came out of the water, her skin had the same runes etched on them.”

Minister Kim’s eyes widen and his jaw drops.

“You saw who the other child is?”

“I didn’t, but I do know who she is. I’m actually here with her right now.”

Confusion and shock painted her father’s face.

“What?”

“It’s a long story. I’m with Lisa. I’ll come back home the moment I wake up and I will tell you everything, I promise. For now, stay safe and upgrade the security around the house, both technological and magical. Don’t stay in places where the shadows are too heavy.”

Jisoo feels herself getting nauseous. The telepathic link is about to be broken and the vision is supposed to end.

“Okay, dad, just be careful. I’ve got to go.”

“Okay, sweetheart, I--”

And just like that the ripple in the space before him disappears. The minister sighs. She didn't get to hear it again. She doesn’t get to hear it enough.

_“I love you, Jisoo. Be careful.”_

He whispers to no one.

Jisoo awakes with a start. Her eyes fly open and she’s breathing hard. She pushes herself off the bed and onto a sitting position, only to be surprised that she was on a bed and in a room unfamiliar to her. Last she remembered, she fell asleep on the bench as she waited for the shapeshifter and the healer to finish talking. It was nearing dawn, then. After she’d said her request, the shapeshifter was wary but the healer was eager and happy and very willing to help in any way she can.

Jennie had cut in before Rosie could say anything and told her they would discuss it among themselves first. Jisoo nodded. It only made sense.

Now she wonders where she is - whose room she’s in. From the position of the shadows, Jisoo could tell it was the late afternoon. The sunlight filtered into the room beautifully, just enough to illuminate the inside but still keep it dim and not too bright. It was perfect for complete rest and relaxation. She sniffed the air. It smelled of expensive perfume and also something distinct - the scent of the owner.

As if summoned by Jisoo’s thoughts, Jennie walks in with a tray containing a glass of water, a bowl of porridge and a vial of clear liquid. She stops a few steps in front of Jisoo.

“So, the seer is awake. Rosie said you would be waking up by now.”

Jisoo clears her throat to speak but instead her vocal chords felt like it was grating itself onto sand paper. She coughed. Jennie sets the tray at the table and hands Jisoo the glass of water. The seer drinks the liquid like it’s from the fountain of life, never having felt so parched and thirsty. She sets the glass down and sighs relief.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welco--,”

“I need to leave, now.”

Normally, Jennie would have snapped at Jisoo for rudely interrupting her but there is an urgency in Jisoo’s tone that made her feel like the seer has other things to worry about than watching her tone or choosing her words. So Jennie just nods.

“And your half-demon friend? She’s still unconscious and recovering.”

Jisoo worries her bottom lip. Lisa can’t travel on a griffin in her state right now. The seer is then left with no other choice.

“I’m going to need to leave her with you guys for now.”

Jennie searches Jisoo’s eyes, looking for something - anything - that would raise red flags or turn on her fight-or-flight reflexes. She finds none.

“Alright. Your griffin has been fed. Let’s just talk to Rosie and tell her you need to ride out before dark.”

Jisoo’s eyes soften. Deep down, she knows Jennie understood without need for explanation, without need for details.

“Okay.”

Jisoo starts to get up but Jennie awkwardly puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Um…” Jennie panics inwardly, not really thinking her attempt at comforting Jisoo through. Jisoo looks at her hand and gives her a dumbfounded look. Jennie sweats and stutters.

“I-I mean-- don’t worry about your friend.” Jennie clears her throat. “We’ll take good care of her.”

Suddenly, the clouds of worry clear and Jisoo beams summer and spring.

“Thank you. I trust that you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me comments and kudos because it's rude to demand updates and not leave feedback. Tell me what you guys think of the developments.


	6. Lisa Wakes Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo leaves and for some reason, Jennie decided to come with her. Cotton has a nice morning out in the forest. Rosie sketches.
> 
> And Lisa.... well, she wakes up.
> 
> Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I took a while :( I had midterms and I struggled a bit with getting back into the flow of writing again. Aries season has me restless and unable to sit down and hammer down one whole chapter. But here I got two for you! So yay!

The sun shines bright but it shyly hides itself behind clouds. There are sun spots on the foliage-littered soil from the holes in the canopy of leaves and branches overhead. Tiny miniscule particles of dust dance within the sun beams. The wind blows a cool breeze. The leaves rustle, the branches dance and the sun beams flicker in and out so that the sunspots shift from one place to another.

The sound of the magical spring in the forest - its extraordinary healing water steadily flowing - combines beautifully with the rustling of the branches and leaves of both magix and non-magix trees and bushes, and the rich natural symphony of the forest is completed by the melodies of different bird-songs of both magix and non-magix feathered friends.

The day is warm and perfect and bright and the forest is alive. Cotton breathes in everything natural and magical and exhales with happiness.

It flaps its wings lazily, contently flying around the forest. It stops to perch at branches, pecking and snacking at seeds and buds and the little crawling invertebrates. Sometimes it would join in the euphony of natural sounds, singing its little heart out.

Cotton went out right after Rosie ate breakfast. The familiar waited for its mistress to be done munching on plain toast and eventually just plain slices of bread. She would spread jam over it, here and there, but she ate two whole pieces of toast and then just ate another plain slice. It was quite the entertaining and endearing sight. Cotton figured that its mistress just got tired of having to put the jam and couldn’t wait to stuff her face.

 _She probably just wanted to eat_ , the familiar thought, snickering to itself.

It watched its mistress compress the last plain slice into a little ball, bite into in, then kind of flap her arms in happiness. She also tore off little pieces of bread for Cotton which it gratefully received and swallowed.

Rosie had weird eating habits and an equally weird way of loving food. Cotton enjoyed watching her eat simply because of the pleasure of seeing joy wash over her whole face. But as much as it loved watching and being fed by Rosie, it preferred its natural diet of worms and pits and nuts and sprouts.

Or, if Cotton was in its true astral form, it fed on the magical energy coming off of ley lines or off of natural magical resources like magical springs or mines - places that naturally produced and renewed its magical energy so as long as Cotton was nearby one, it would be good for life and never starve.

Hence, why the familiar loved flying around by itself in the magical forest behind the greenhouse.

Cotton recalls a time, years ago, when it snacked on nothing but magical crystals because it still couldn’t get used to eating bird food. The familiar snickered. Lola - the old lady who originally owned the greenhouse and who took them in - would always scold it for eating the runic energy off the crystals and rendering it as useless as any rock.

Now it’s glad that it has acclimated to whatever real birds eat because it didn’t want to burden Rosie with having to collect new magical crystals to feed it every week.

The song of the forest continues and the shadows thin out. The sun finally musters the courage to peek out from behind clouds. Cotton looks up spreads its wings out, catching as much warmth and sunlight as it can. It decides that it should go back to its mistress and her patient. It might be early in the day and there’s no reason to worry about any danger until nightfall, but it would make it feel better if it was always be close by its witch and master.

Rosie was left alone with her sleeping patient when Cotton went out to scavenge for food. The seer, Jisoo, left last night and both Cotton and Rosie were surprised when Jennie suddenly declared that she’s coming with. Everyone, including Jisoo, looked at the shapeshifter like she’d just grown a gargoyle’s head. Jennie blushed and looked down and reasoned that the seer would be travelling at night, and that while air travel wouldn’t be as dangerous as land travel, it was better that someone who can also fight and watch her back was there with her.

Jisoo was beyond grateful to Jennie and Rosie had no qualms about it. Cotton found it odd how the usually untrusting shapeshifter who was overly protective of Rosie and the shop and has never left it for 5 months was suddenly willing to go on a trip to protect a stranger.

Cotton has its guesses as to why there was a sudden change in the shapeshifter’s behavior. The familiar may not be human but it isn’t naive to human emotions. It’s spent two decades living amongst humans and observing them. But Cotton decides to wait and see future developments before saying anything.

Since Rosie is alone, Cotton decides to turn around and fly back to the house. When the familiar swoops safely into the barrier with it recognizing its magical energy, it hears soft humming coming from inside the greenhouse.

It flies in and finds Rosie hunched over a leather notebook with a pencil in hand busily flying over the page, the graphite leaving light lines and heavy strokes and dark shadows and light accents. The healer is so concentrated on her sketch that she doesn’t realize Cotton is back until the rosefinch is flying so close to her face that a few strands of her hair were blown away.

Rosie looks up at the familiar in surprise. Cotton chirps in greeting. It gets a warm smile in return.

“Welcome back, Cotton.”

“Hello, Miss Rosie. You seem quite busy today.”

Rosie bows her head back down, going back to sketching. Cotton flies away to get a better look at what its mistress is working on. It realizes she’s sketching a magical Bracken Fern. The familiar watches the healer’s hands trace and darken the outlines of the little fibrous roots of the healing plant then moving onto its thin stem and long wide leaves, detailing her sketch further.

Rosie looked up at the real life plant in a pot in front of her. The one in her sketch looked exactly like it’s real life counterpart - as if the plant was magically converted from 3D to 2D and then placed on paper.

“Is that another one for your journals?” Cotton asks, wonder and awe in its voice.

“Yes,” Rosie looks up at her familiar with a smile. “The sun was shining so beautifully. It felt like the perfect day to sketch and continue my little project.” The healer explains.

The familiar feels a breeze pass by and a warmth spreads in its feather-covered chest. It closes its eyes and inhales and just feels. When it opens them, it sees that its mistress also had her hand halted in mid air with her eyes closed. The healer inhales deep and exhales slowly. She then turns to the rosefinch with a warm knowing smile.

Cotton understands what its mistress just communicated to it silently - Lola is letting them both know that she is here and she is watching over them.

See, Rosie inherited this shop, greenhouse and the love for rare magical plants from an eccentric old lady who took her and Cotton in when they both had nowhere else to go and had just lost everything. Lola was a plump and round little old witch who stood at four feet, ten inches tall. She had brown skin, small eyes, a round nose; her eyes crinkled and her crow’s feet deepened every time she smiled her signature warm smile. Her hair was white as snow, and she was soft as a pillow when anyone hugged her. She jiggled everywhere when she laughed and she never lacked warmth nor love nor light.

For a seven year old who had just lost everything, who was confused and scared and had no one left but her rosefinch familiar, Lola was a gift from the angels. She couldn’t have been brought to the old witch by anyone else but the good spirits.

But Lola passed away three years ago and it’s just been Rosie and Cotton. Since then, Rosie decided to create a little compilation of all the rare plants Lola left her and all the new ones she would discover in a journal. She would also list down all the uses and spells for each one, both as a way to honor her memory and as a resource for other healers in the future.

Rosie still gets sad thinking about the old witch. But sometimes, at night, when the shadows are harsh, Rosie swears that she can feel Lola guarding over her wherever she is, and she just smiles.

She’s lost so many people at such a young age. She instinctively looks over at her sleeping patient, runs her eyes over the messy blonde hair and the back turned to her. Something tells her that the seer and half-demon that barged into her home two days ago was as much brought to her by fate as Lola was.

The healer’s thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a groan coming from across her, over at the other side of the greenhouse where her patient lay on the bed from the hut. Rosie and Cotton decided it was better to move the sleeping half-demon into the greenhouse because sunlight and lots of clean air would be good for her, and also so both of them wouldn’t have to go back and forth from the greenhouse to the hut during the day. Being a witch definitely made it easy for Rosie as she just used the same trick she and Jennie did when they took two people and a griffin to the hut - a simple  levitation spell and magic threads.

Rosie gets up from her spot and goes over to the half-demon to check on her. Cotton flies right behind her.

Lisa's eyes open slowly as she moves from lying on her side to lie on her back. Rosie immediately checks her patient’s half-lidded eyes and sees them glazed over. The healer grabs a digital thermometer on the side table, sanitizes its metal end with magical energy and pops it between her patient's parted lips and teeth. There’s always a danger of a fever breaking out as a sign of infection or a fever as a reaction to the transfusion of magical energy. The half-demon’s body seemed to be reacting well to the elixirs and spells, but it’s always better to be sure.

Out of instinct, Rosie starts humming the random tune she has in her head once again, as she waits for the thermometer to do its work.

Lisa’s eyes start to clear and the half-demon blinks - once, then twice. Rosie is surprised. The half-demon isn't supposed to be conscious for another day at least from the procedure she just went through.

Lisa groans again as she slowly comes to. The smell of earth and plants hit her and she wonders where she is.

_Was she awake? Was she dreaming? Was she dead?_

_Does the afterlife smell like greenery and a little bit of fertilizer?_

She sees light at first, then little fuzzy colored lights. The half-demon then starts making out little light orbs of lots of different shades of green mixed with white around her. Her vision looked like a bokeh stock photo on google. At the back of her mind, Lisa suddenly thinks of the last time she went on a nice photo walk. Wait, why is she thinking of photography right now? Ah, right, there’s that new Leica model that she wants....

Wait, where is she again? Is she even alive?

Well, she should definitely go on a photo walk again sometime, maybe bring Jisoo as a model or something, after she finds out where she is or if she’s still alive.

Suddenly, the lights are blocked by something. _A big shadow? A thumb?_

The thermometer beeps. Rosie removes it from the half-demon's mouth. The black digital numbers say 37.9° - higher than normal for non-magix but a lower than normal temperature for a half-demon with an affinity for fire magic - still good, could be better, but safe enough.

Lisa blinks her eyes clear. Once. Twice. The shadow slowly takes form and the thumb becomes a woman with blonde hair. A pretty woman. She sees lips first, plump and heart shaped, the lower lip thick and puckered, then a finely sculpted nose, and eyes that hold so much softness and warmth, Lisa wonders if they hold all the good things in the world.

_A very, very pretty woman. I should ask this one to model for me._

Lisa exhales a breath.

“Prreettyyy,” she says, voice laced with sleep and too much honesty, sounding completely drunk. “An aanngeel.”

Rosie is taken aback, literally and figuratively.

“Wh-what?”

The healer’s heart skips a beat. The corners of Lisa's lips quirk up and she speaks slowly, as if still dazed. She drawls her words, tongue dragging vowels along her lips.

“Youu'rrre sooo preeettyy.”

Cotton almost falls from the air in surprise. The familiar laughs. Rosie blushes and swats at it.

Lisa closes her eyes again, small smile still on her lips.

“Prettiest… girrrrl…” the half-demon's eyes close and her voice fades.

The healer’s heart is now drumming hard against her chest. She tries to calm it by breathing in and out in measured breaths.

Lisa is still. Rosie pokes her arm. The half-demon doesn’t react. The patient falls asleep once again. Rosie clears her throat.

“She must be high from the elixirs.”

Cotton bursts out laughing.

“No, mistress, I think she has a crush on you.”

The healer's face turns beet red and she covers it with her hands. She groans.

“Ugh, Cotton!”

Cotton, in its high pitched voice, laughs louder this time.

Rosie goes back to her spot on her table, deciding to continue her work. Without looking at the familiar she explains the logical reason for the half-demon's statement.

“She's just high. Let's leave her to rest now.”

Cotton snickers.

“Okay, Miss Rosie.”

And the familiar makes no further comment. Rosie exhales another slow breath, closing her eyes, trying to shake off how flustered the comment made her feel.

But the compliment stays at the back of her mind. She steals glances towards the sleeping half-demon. Cotton pretends not to see it, but it does and it takes note.

Cotton has lived with Rosie and protected the healer all her life. It notices everything.

Half an hour passes. The sun moves closer to high noon. The clouds still shield its rays, keeping the day fair. The breeze blows coolly, the plants in the greenhouse dance with their leaves rustling. Rosie finishes detailing her drawing of the magical Bracken Fern. She holds it up for Cotton to see and the familiar chirps in approval.

“Great work once again, Mistress!”

Rosie gives her work another look and beams with pride. The healer is a perfectionist through and through and this one definitely deserves her very own stamp of approval. It might just be one of her best works yet.

Lisa shifts in the bed again making the thin wooden frame creak. Rosie looks up to see if her patient is waking up again. Cotton flies over to the half-demon immediately and hovers over the patient.

Lisa opens her eyes slowly again. She feels dazed, as if her mind is blanketed by a thin translucent film, keeping her from being fully conscious and fully functional. She sees a pink fuzzy ball in front of her and she reaches out to touch it.

Cotton flies away to dodge the patient's clumsy hand.

“Woah!” It exclaims in surprise.

Lisa's arm falls back heavily on the bed. Rosie is a little alarmed and gets up from her spot to check on what's happening between her familiar and her patient. Cotton flies in closer to get a better look at Lisa's pupils.

The blonde's eyes are glassy and unfocused with her pupils a little dilated.

Then Lisa starts quietly and slowly chuckling. Rosie raises an eyebrow in confusion. This is the first time any patient of hers has exhibited this kind of behavior. Usually, her patients just sleep a lot to recover after she does energy transfusion then wakes up groggy and grumpy.

Or at least, Jennie did when Jennie was her patient.

“Piiiink.” Lisa drawls, then giggles again. “Cotton candyyy, fuzzzzzyyy.”

Cotton looks at Rosie and then laughs. Rosie joins in too. Lisa looks at both the healer and the familiar while a stupid dopey smile spreads on her face. She joins in the laughter, too.

 _Oh gosh_ , Rosie thinks, _she really is high_.

“Flying cotton candy.” Lisa says in a dreamy voice. She reaches out for Cotton again and the familiar easily avoids her hand. Lisa frowns, suddenly looking very upset.

“I waaaant cotton candyyyy.”

Rosie and Cotton share a look before the healer turns to Lisa and starts running gentle fingers through her patient's blonde hair. Lisa instinctively closes her eyes and sighs happily.

“Lisa,” Rosie tries using the half-demon's name. She feels something in her chest flutter, hearing the half-demon’s name come out of her own lips. She subconsciously puts a hand over her chest, where her heart is.

_What is up with her today?_

“Hmm?” Lisa, still high, responds. There's a small content smile on the patient's lips once again.

“We're gonna get you cotton candy when you wake up and you're all better, okay?” Rosie promises, for some reason.

_Wait, why did I say that?_

“Mhmmm.” Lisa tries to do a slight nod but her consciousness is slipping, the promise of sweets making her feel infinitely better.

“Okay, pretty…. Whatever… you… say…”

The blush creeps up the healer's neck to her cheeks and she looks down, hiding her face behind a curtain of blonde hair. Cotton makes no comment this time, holding its laughter and teasing back. The familiar however, is sure that it caught its mistress fighting to keep down a smile that was threatening to explode on her face.

_Yep, one of Miss Rosie's weaknesses is definitely compliments._

Rosie sees Cotton looking at her silently with its head tilted.

“What?” Rosie asks, knowing full well what Cotton’s _look_ means. She’s known her familiar all her life and she knows what it’s thinking right now.

Cotton considers what it should say, ultimately deciding, _oh well, since she asked…_

“You're blushing.”

Rosie's eyes widen and her hands immediately cover and cup one of her cheeks, each.

“No, I'm not.” The healer denies.

“You're smiling.”

Rosie presses her lips together, forcing them into a small straight line and shakes her head violently, then expressing dissent with her mouth shut.

“Nmm mmm nnnt.”

 _Way to act like an adult, Rosie,_ the healer berates herself.

Cotton just laughs louder, deciding to let up on its poor mistress.

“Okay, Miss Rosie. Whatever you say”

The familiar flies off and settles itself in its little nest on Rosie's desk.

Something tells Rosie that Cotton was being sarcastic but since her familiar seems to be dropping the topic, she decides it's best for her to do the same. She goes back to her desk but halfway there she feels her stomach rumbling. She puts a hand on it and looks up through the greenhouse's glass roof to the sky.

It's high noon and time for lunch. Rosie decides to fix herself something quick.

“Hey, Cotton, I'll just make myself some lunch, okay?”

Cotton's eyes are closed and its halfway to dreamland in its little nest but it answers its mistress, still.

“Okay, Miss Rosie. I'll just… nap.”

Cotton ends the statement with a yawn. Familiars don’t really need to sleep and they don’t really yawn. All they need to do to stay alive is to be attached to a master and feed on pure magical energy, but over the years Cotton has picked up a few human and bird habits and that sleeping is a good way of passing time.

Cotton is asleep in no time.

The healer smiles at her sleeping familiar. She looks over her patient once more before leaving the greenhouse and padding off into the shop and main house's kitchen.

Time for lunch!

 _Finally,_ the healer thinks. _Food!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. The Lola character is based off of my maternal grandmother who passed away three years ago. I love her so much. I rarely saw her because she lived in the states with my aunt who migrated there in the 90s. The last time she was here with me, I wasn't able to see her off at the airport because (surprise surprise) I chose to hang out with my ex girlfriend instead. It was definitely not worth it. I regret it to this day. Anyway, there's a long story there but to put it simply, I did a Stargirl card reading and I found out she is one of the spirit guides. I've suspected for a while because I would often dream of her laughing and telling me she accepts me (I assume this has to do with my sexuality. I never got to come out to her.)
> 
> So yeah. I'll have Rosie talk more about Lola in this universe in the next chapters. I hope you enjoy this one and the next! Leave comments and kudos!


	7. Lisa Wakes Up For Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa wakes up for real and, well.... it's not what you'd expect.

In the kitchen, the healer swiftly gets to work. She grabs lettuce and tomatoes and onions and scallions from the vegetable bin in her fridge - she grew everything herself - and slices them expertly. She throws everything together in a bowl. She reaches for her favorite dressing - Lola's own vinaigrette mix that she taught Rosie - and drizzles it lightly over her salad, not drowning the greens to keep them crunchy and fresh but also just enough to give them that little zing.

Rosie puts a finger to her chin and then decides to be a little more fancy today and decides to finally use the gifts Joy has been sending her. Joy is a succubus that she treated once before and who seems to have taken a liking to her. The succubus would send her flowers at first, every week, and she absolutely loved them. But she was sad whenever they wilted. Joy eventually learned that she liked food and that she liked to eat healthy and has been sending her expensive food and different seasonings from all over the world since. She adds the three cheeses that came in Joy’s package last week - swiss, feta, and parmesan - already grated and ready, to the mix. Rosie puts her hands on her hips after, happy and proud of her work.

_ Perfect. _

Next, she grabs mushrooms and truffle oil (also from Joy). She chops more onions and a little bit of garlic. Then, she pours the oil on a pan generously. She heats the oil up before putting in the mushrooms and she sautees them until they are coated in oil and glistening beautifully.

The smell of her cooking hits her nose, making her stomach complain again and rumble louder this time. She puts a hand to it, in instinct, then she turns the stove off and takes the pan off of it. She poaches two eggs quick, to complete her meal. She transfers the mushrooms on a plate, tops it with the poached eggs carefully, so as not to pop the yolk, and rests a fork on the side. 

With both hands full - one with her plate of salad and the other with mushrooms - she heads back to the greenhouse.

On her way back there, the healer’s mind wanders back to her patient’s elixir-fueled antics. A blush creeps up her face again and Rosie tries to mentally will her body not to react that way, pushing the thoughts back and trying to calm herself.

It’s not like people haven’t complimented her before. Joy certainly loves to shower her with compliments whenever she stops by to drop whatever gift package she has for the week. Jennie compliments her a lot, too, and so does Cotton.

So what makes this half-demon different?

Well, for one, Joy is a succubus and flirting with everything that moves is in her nature. Jennie gives her compliments out of love and a sense of gratitude for saving her life, and, well, isn’t it Cotton’s job to feed her ego, technically?

Rosie’s mind answers itself and she almost throws her hands up in frustration before she remembers that she’s holding her precious food in both of them.

“Argh!” The healer can’t help but express her frustration.

She just needs to stop dwelling on it, is all.

_ Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, _ she tells herself.

The healer turns around and uses her backside to push open the door to the greenhouse because her hands are occupied. She sees everything as she left it - patient and rosefinch sound asleep. She sets down her food on her table and pulls out her phone. She opens her Netflix application. She tilts her head to the side and wonders what she should watch while eating her lunch.

_ Disney musical? A series drama? _

She decides to go with Disney because one can never go wrong with Disney.

_ Disney it is, then, _ she thinks.

The healer presses play on Frozen and pops out the popsocket stuck on the back of her phone and props it up in front of her. The opening credits play, the Disney castle is formed and glittering, and she digs into her food.

Right as “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” starts playing, she hears Lisa snore loudly from the bed. Rosie almost chokes on her food from laughter. She realizes she forgot to bring water with her and starts coughing like mad.

Suddenly, there is a glass being pushed into her hand and when she looks up, it’s Cotton holding it with its two tiny feet by the rim. She takes it with gratitude and drinks to wash down the food lodged in her throat.

“Oh my gosh, thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Rosie breathes hard. Cotton just laughs.

“Anytime, Miss Rosie.” Cotton does a cute little salute with its wing and Rosie smiles wife, reaching out to rub the pad of a finger lovingly against the feathers on Cotton's head.

Rosie thinks there will never be enough words to express how thankful she is that she has Cotton in her life and how she knows that Cotton will be here as long as she's alive.

“Love Is An Open Door” starts playing and Rosie realizes that she had a whole meal and movie waiting for her before her most recent brush with death after choking on a piece of mushroom because her patient started snoring. The healer spares another glance at the half-demon who was now on her side again, but curled up fetal with her back facing Rosie.

Rosie gets up to look at her. She takes a peek at her patient, tiptoe-ing and carefully looking over from behind. The healer lays eyes on the perfect side profile she admired the first time she saw the woman, but this time the half-demon’s face is peaceful and not in pain.

Rosie notices another difference, too, and she snickers. Lisa’s lips are parted a little and there’s a line of drool steadily streaming down the white pillow.

Rosie’s gonna have to wash that pillow and sterilize it more than once. Not that her half-demon patient looks like she doesn’t have good dental and oral hygiene but it’s better to be sure.

Lisa suddenly snorts and Rosie is surprised. The patient starts mouthing words and Rosie leans down closer to hear what she’s saying in her sleep.

“...nnn door, wiff youuu….. Luuvv ‘s ann opeenn dooohh…”

Rosie leans back and stifles her laughter with a hand, so as not to wake her patient. Lisa is singing along to Frozen in her sleep and all the while snoring and drooling in between.

_ If that’s not both the most endearing and amusing thing Rosie’s ever seen… _

Suddenly, Lisa’s eyelids fly open and she awakes with a start. Her breathing comes out ragged and hard. Rosie can tell her patient is stressed. Alarms go off in the healer’s head.

Lisa’s eyes scan her environment, looking around and studying everything. Lastly, without turning her head, her eyes land on the healer. Rosie notices how clear Lisa’s eyes are.

This is the first time the half-demon and witch’s eyes come into contact while they are both fully awake and conscious. Lisa’s breath hitches and Rosie is frozen dumb in her spot.

A whole moment passes with them just looking at each other, eyes locked in an involuntary staredown. Both of them could tell that there’s something happening in this moment, right as they look into each other’s eyes. As if the stars and galaxies halted in their movements so the universe can exhale a deep sigh of relief.

Neither of them could explain the pause. But it is Lisa who breaks the spell as she moves a finger and Rosie’s eyes follow the movement.

_ Okay, _ Rosie tells herself.  _ I need to focus because my patient is awake and probably in a panic. _

The half-demon is assessing her body. Everything is heavy and she doesn’t know if she can use her flames to defend herself. She has no idea where she is and who this woman is. She also doesn’t know why she can’t move. And in all her years training to fight and working for the Ministry as an operative, the one thing she’s learned is that any position where she has no idea of where she is and she is partly physically invalid is not a good position to be in.

Rosie sees the gears turning in her patient’s head and decides that she should do something before her patient hurts herself.

But it’s too late because in a split second, Lisa is sitting on the bed facing her, one arm snaked around the back of her head with a hand cradling it and the other poised across her neck as if holding a dagger pointed at it.

Rosie feels heat against her neck and she knows Lisa is trying to conjure a flame dagger. But nothing comes and a second later the half-demon’s hand just fizzles. Both of their eyes look towards the direction of Lisa’s hand - Rosie with relief and Lisa in annoyance and frustration.

“Okay.” Lisa starts, voice sounding hoarse from thirst and sleep. She clears her throat. “You’re gonna tell me where I am and who you are or I shift my arm and break your neck.”

Cotton immediately flies to Rosie, ready to shed off its rosefinch appearance and go completely astral to protect its master. White light emanates from in between its feathers and the air around it crackles with pure magical energy and Rosie feels this from afar. The healer decides to act before things get out of hand.

“Cotton, stop! It’s okay.” Rosie yells. “I got this.” The healer stares right into the half-demon’s eyes. Lisa gulps.

There’s that feeling again, when they first made eye contact. The half-demon steels herself. 

_ Focus, Lisa, focus. _

Anyone who doesn’t know Rosie well enough would think that a soft girl like her would be scared of the half-demon in this moment. But Rosie is born under and Aries moon and Lisa’s threat felt like a challenge to her abilities. She might not be good in close combat, but she was one hell of a witch, if she does say so herself.

So the healer just stares the half-demon down and then raises a challenging eyebrow.

Lisa visibly gulps, feeling the change in the pretty blonde’s aura.

_ Pretty? Did I just call her pretty? Damn, Lisa, focus! _

Rosie sees the shift in Lisa’s vibe and knows she shook the half-demon a little. The healer smirks. Lisa’s eyes follow the movement, the slight quirk of the full lips. Her eyes trace the curve of the healer’s cupid’s bow and the plump bottom lip.

Lisa gulps again, but this time for a different reason.

_ Holy…. What’s going on with me?  _ The half-demon thinks.

“Lisa,” Rosie starts, voice a little lower than usual.

Lisa looks up from the healer’s lips at the sound of her name being said in a honey, silky sweet voice.  She looks straight into the other woman’s eyes again only to realize that’s probably a bad decision because suddenly her knees feel like giving out from under her.

“Jisoo told me to tell you to call her when you wake up.” Rosie smirks again, watching the confusion pass by her patient’s eyes. She allows for a dramatic pause for a beat then reaches into her sweatpants’ pocket for Lisa’s phone.

Lisa’s eyes widen as she recognizes the pink case of her iPhone and the unicorn popsocket. The rush in the half-demon’s blood dissipates and she visibly deflates. All of a sudden, her body is heavy and numb and she staggers and falls. The healer gracefully and quickly catches her patient in her arms, careful not to drop the phone.

Rosie sits Lisa down on the edge of the bed, propping the half-demon up with her whole body - crooks of her arms supporting Lisa by her underarms, chest against chest, cheek against cheek, with Lisa’s chin resting on the healer’s shoulder.

Lisa feels something thundering in her chest, only to realize it’s her heart. The half-demon blushes, knowing the blonde must be hearing and feeling it, too.

Rosie looks down and smiles shyly to herself. She realizes they’ve been in an embrace for far too long than what’s comfortable for people who had just met and decides that she should let Lisa go, but not until she’s made sure her patient isn’t gonna fall again.

“Lisa?” Rosie asks tentatively, voice soft and caring that it almost sends Lisa reeling.

The half-demon gulps for what felt like the millionth time. She feels her heart rate going impossibly higher and feels her whole body get warm. She nods meekly against the healer, all confidence and bravado from earlier gone.

Rosie continues with her question.

“I’m gonna let you go now, okay? Can you sit up by yourself?”

Lisa gives her a small nod again.

“Okay.”

Rosie extricates herself from the embrace but still uses both hands to hold Lisa still by the shoulders.

“Wanna lie down?” Rosie asks again, voice still as lovely, still as caring. Lisa just nods again.

“Okay.”

And the healer carefully assists the half demon down, putting a hand behind Lisa’s head and pulling it away once it feels the softness of the pillow. Rosie turns to Cotton.

“Can you fetch water for her, Cotton?”

Cotton wordlessly flies away to comply with its Mistress’ orders. The healer can tell it was unhappy still about the threat Lisa just threw her way, but that’s to be expected of a familiar, especially one who’s seen everything Rosie went through.

Cotton comes back with a bottle of water, defying all laws of science by carrying it with its two tiny feet and being able to fly through the air at the same time.

“Thank you, Cotton.”

The healer accepts the water bottle and opens it. She puts it against her patient’s mouth and gently guides Lisa’s head as she drinks, tilting it only little by little so the other woman doesn’t drown.

Lisa pulls away and Rosie closes the bottle. The half-demon closes her eyes and exhales relief. That was nice. She hadn’t realized how parched she was until now. Lisa looks at the other woman shyly, making eye contact for a second then looking away.

“Thank you.”

Rosie smiles her signature smile, full and warm and bright.

“You’re welcome.” The healer holds the half-demon’s phone up in front of her face. “Call Jisoo?”

“Right.”

Lisa takes the phone and her fingers brush against the healers’ lightly. She ignores the fact that her brain actually took mental note of the brief touch.

Rosie clears her throat. The healer felt the split-second skin-to-skin touch, too, which is weird considering she’d been taking care of the woman for two days now and she’s cleaned and replaced her wounds and touched her skin multiple times.

This time, it’s Cotton who clears its throat. It speaks directly to the half-demon.

“You were gonna call Jisoo?”

“Right!”

Lisa exclaims in embarrassment, getting right to unlocking her phone and dialing her best friend. The half-demon's eyes shift nervously from the pretty blonde woman to the pink bird who's probably her familiar and now perched on her shoulder.

Rosie wants to laugh at everything - Cotton acting like a disapproving parent and her patient being all nervous and unsure.

Jisoo picks up at the third ring.

“Yo! You're alive!” Jisoo's electronic voice comes through the phone's speakers, loud enough for both Rosie and Cotton to hear as a witch and familiar with enhanced hearing. Lisa winces, already feeling advanced embarrassment over whatever her best friend and roommate will be saying during this call.

“Ye-yeah, I am.” The uncertainty comes off of Lisa's voice and Jisoo does not miss it.

“Your dumb ass has no idea what's happening, does it?”

Lisa feels her face go red. Rosie covers her mouth to stifle her laughter but her eyes are already visibly tiny crescent moons from amusement. The half-demon answers meekly.

“No…”

Loud laughter bursts from the other side of the line.

“Oh my spirits, did you embarrass yourself already? Did you hit on Rosie or something?”

Lisa's whole body goes up in flames, figuratively (she still can't conjure in her state), and she tries her best to defend herself.

“No! What the hell, Soo?”

Cotton clears its throat and quickly flies up to Lisa, on the other side of the phone, interrupting the conversation.

“Miss Jisoo? Hi! It’s Cotton!”

The familiar's voice is chirpy, happily greeting the seer. Jisoo responds equally happy to hear its voice and pleasantly surprised.

Lisa does not have any idea as to whatever is happening and doesn't know whether she should speak up or shut up. Rosie just watches everything unfold, completely amused.

“Hi, Cotton! What's up?”

“Actually, Miss Jisoo, I just wanted to clarify that Miss Lisa has in fact hit on Miss Rosie.”

Jisoo and Lisa both yell in surprise.

“WHAT!”

“I KNEW IT!”

Lisa almost throws the phone from her hand. Rosie is chuckling. Cotton tries to explain to both the seer and half-demon what it meant.

“Well, Miss Lisa wasn't fully conscious and she was probably high from the elixirs, but I believe she called Miss Rosie 'pretty’, 'prettiest girl’, and 'angel’, repeatedly, every time she would wake up dazed and high.”

Jisoo laughs so loud that both Cotton and Lisa physically flinched away from the phone, the half-demon holding it at arm's length from her face.

“Oh my gods, you DUMBASS!! After she healed you and completely revived you from near-death, you repay her by being a complete weirdo and hitting on her?” Jisoo scolds her friend.

Lisa looks up at Rosie in panic, both “I am so sorry,” and “can the ground swallow me” written plainly on her face. Rosie chuckles. The healer would have felt sorry for her patient but this was too good and too funny. Cotton perches itself back on its master’s shoulder, snickering like a little naughty elf.

“The bird said I was high, okay?!” Lisa screams at her phone.

“Well, you weren’t high anymore when you threatened her.” Cotton speaks up from Rosie’s shoulder, loud enough for the phone to pick it up and for Jisoo to hear it.

All the color drains from Lisa’s face.

Oh, right, I did that. Shit.

Rosie just bursts out laughing.

“You WHAT?” Jisoo yells in disbelief.

“I--” Lisa tries to explain herself. Cotton puffs out its chest proudly, happy that it got the half-demon in trouble with the seer for threatening its master.

The familiar knows that it shouldn’t be a big deal but it can’t keep itself from being a little petty. It doesn’t help that its master is laughing and enjoying all of this right now, too.

“I swear to the gods, Lalisa, when I get back there to pick you up, I will--”

“Okay, Jisoo, see you, then, bye!”

Lisa presses the end call button in haste - pretty much today’s version of slamming the phone down on someone. She immediately puts her phone on airplane mode so her best friend won’t be calling her nonstop. She’ll text Jisoo again when the older girl has cooled off and won’t be scolding her ass anymore.

Lisa looks up at the healer and the familiar, again, this time ready to give them a proper apology.

“I didn’t know, I--,” Lisa sighs. “I’m sorry.”

Rosie just shakes her head and waves off her patient’s apology.

“Oh, your reaction is normal. I expected you to not remember much from what happened because of the sleeping spells and elixirs and also the gravity of your injury.” Rosie smiles and takes a hesitant step closer to her patient on the bed. “That’s why I’ve been watching you closely, so I can be there when you wake up and let you know you’re okay.”

A warmth spreads in Lisa’s chest. She reaches out for the healer’s hand without thought and holds it in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Rosie nods, accepting the thanks, Lisa’s touch sending sparks up her arm to her chest and down to her stomach. Lisa’s body mirrors the effect and they both look down at their linked hands.

_ What is this? What’s going on? _

Cotton observes the two in silence. After a while too long, it clears its throat.

“Miss Lisa?”

“Hmm?” Lisa immediately lets go of the healer’s hand, looking up at the familiar like nothing happened.

“Miss Jisoo instructed me to offer you chocolate milk when you wake up. You were also asking for cotton candy earlier. Do you want me to get you some?”

Lisa’s jaw falls slack and there are sparkles in her eyes. Rosie watches the expression change on the half-demon’s face.

_ She’s adorable, _ the healer thinks.

“Do I want chocolate milk and cotton candy?” Lisa puts both hands to her chest in reverence. “Always.”

Cotton snickers. Rosie just smiles at her patient with adoration.

“Okay, Miss Lisa. Let me get you your snacks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. As promised, 2 chapters. Let me know what you think! Check me out on @rosiewitched on twitter and feel free to dm me and tell me your thoughts. Next chapter will be Jensoo and what is going on with them and maybe why Jennie went with Jisoo.


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